text:
Kicking off in 2014, owners of select Samsung Blu-ray Disc players will be able to unlock a wealth of exciting apps specially built for TV screens. Opera Software today announced that apps from the Opera TV Store will be available on Samsung’s Blu-ray Disc players, providing viewers with more choices of online and streaming entertainment for their TV screens and giving app and content owners a huge new audience.
Samsung Blu-ray player users provide a great new reach for brands and online video content publishers through the Opera TV Store. Content owners can easily transform their video and audio offerings into HTML5 apps for the Opera TV Store with Opera TV Snap, launched in July 2013 with its first video-sharing site partner, Dailymotion. Official users can turn their Dailymotion channel into a Opera TV Store app simply by clicking on the “create a TV app” button. It takes less than a minute and the service is free of charge – making it one of the fastest and easiest ways to reach Blu-ray player users.
From video, music and games to social media, news, sports and science, the Opera TV Store delivers hundreds of HTML5-based apps optimized for connected devices. Users can watch their favorite online HD video content on the biggest screen in the home, enjoying a comfortable lean-back experience and getting the best out of the web on their TVs.
“The Opera TV Store unleashes the full potential of online video content, the most popular consumption category on Blu-ray players and various other media player devices,” says Aneesh Rajaram, SVP for TV & Devices, Opera Software. “With Samsung’s Blu-ray player on board, we significantly increase the reach we bring to our content partners and brands that are looking to engage with millions of consumers, while also providing those consumers with the best and widest choice in web content.”
The Opera TV Store is available on Samsung Blu-ray player Series 5 and Samsung Home Theater System Series 5, as well as some of Samsung’s Series 4 models.
To reach millions of consumers on Samsung Blu-ray Disc players and other OEM partners of Opera TV Store, web developers and content publishers can easily develop apps for the Opera TV Store through Opera TV Snap or Opera TV Store templates. For more information, click here.
The Opera ecosystem is more than just the Opera TV Store, with the Opera Devices SDK and Opera browser powering the web on tens of millions of devices, including Sony, Philips, TCL, Humax, Sharp, Hisense, Vestel, TiVo and Altech devices
Come and meet Opera Software at CES in Las Vegas (January 7-10), at South Hall S2, Lower Level, #MP25070, CES Meeting Place. To arrange a commercial or media meeting, contact zlauder [at] opera.com.


text:
Shortly after Netflix expanded to cover more countries across the globe, they started a war on VPNs by upgrading their system to weed out people using VPNs to stream content. Due to licensing rights and other geopolitical issues, some contents of Netflix are banned in some countries. To get round this, people sign up to VPNs to masked or change their location while online. That way they can get to stream all contents on Netflix.
Now Netflix is gaining an ally in this war on VPNs. PayPal, the US based, biggest online payment system in the world, has decided to join the war on VPNs. Unlike Netflix, PayPal is not going to start blocking or cracking down on people using VPN to access PayPal services. It is going after the money by stopping people from paying for VPNs using PayPal.
“Under the PayPal Acceptable Use Policy, PayPal may not be used to send or receive payments for items that infringe or violate any copyright, trademark, right of publicity or privacy, or any other proprietary right under the laws of any jurisdiction.
This includes transactions for any device or technological measure that descrambles a scrambled work, decrypts an encrypted work or otherwise avoids, bypasses, removes, deactivates or impairs a technological measure without the authority of the copyright owner.”
This would come as a relief, in a way to many Nigerians who use PayPal services for online transactions. Because PayPal services in Nigeria is restricted to just paying for goods and services online (i.e, one cannot receive payment or funds transfer into their PayPal account in Nigeria), people use VPN to get round this restriction. The PayPal servers would see the account as ‘not Nigerian’ therefore allowing the account to receive funds from another PayPal account.
A Canadian based VPN, UnoTelly, was the first to reveal the news publicly. It is very likely that PayPal had also communicated it decisions to other major VPN providers around the world. In a blog post to its customers informing them about the current situation with PayPal, UnoTelly informed them that:
“On February 3rd, 2016, PayPal has severed payment processing agreement unilaterally and without prior warning. PayPal indicated that UnoTelly is not allowed to provide services that enable open and unrestricted Internet access.
As result, UnoTelly can no longer accept payment from PayPal. This development is outside of our control, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.
If you believe in an open Internet and value the services UnoTelly is providing, we hope you would continue your subscription by updating your payment method from PayPal to credit card.
Here is how to update your payment method:
If you have a preferred method of payment, please leave a comment below!
Thank you again for your support.”
This decision by PayPal to join the war against VPNs is not necessarily right. People use VPN services for many reasons outside of accessing sites like Netflix. Some of these reasons can be as important as hiding from oppressive government agents in states like China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Political activists and NGO’S in many countries find the use of VPNs very valuable to their operations.
Fortunately, PayPal is not the only online payment portal in the world. As the UnoTelly post rightly pointed out, there are other options too in how users pay for VPNs. But this unofficial war on VPNs is becoming a worrying trend. Because the question now is, what if other online payment portals join in this war on VPNs?
For now though, we in Nigeria can still use the fully paid-up (or free) VPN services.

domain: news


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Sign Up for the SBO Dispatch Newsletter
Send this story to a friend
Gerding Edlen buys San Francisco parcel
- J.K. Dineen and Wendy Culverwell
Gerding Edlen has purchased a parcel of land in downtown San Francisco and will build 106 rental apartments there.
The company, which has developed more than 2 million square feet, mostly in Washington and Oregon, paid just under $9 million for the former Galaxy Theater site at 1285 Sutter St.
The deal represents Gerding Edlen’s first San Francisco project.
The acquisition was bankrolled by a new $400 million private equity fund Gerding Edlen is in the process of raising. The new investment business, which combines the firm’s green building expertise with opportunities created by the distressed real estate market, is focused on downtown, transit-oriented properties in five target cities: Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Denver. The fund, Gerding Edlen Green Cities I LP, will continue to raise money through June 30, 2012. To date, it has raised more than $45.5 million, according to SEC documents.
“They have been looking around for a while in this marketplace and feel that 1285 Sutter is the right type of project to fit what they are trying to do in San Francisco in terms of size and location,” said Tony Crossley of Colliers International, who represented the seller, the Rockpoint Group LLC.
The grocery chain Trader Joe’s had originally signed a lease in 2007 to locate on the ground floor of the project, but that lease has expired. Crossley said he thinks it’s likely the grocer will still be interested.
“I think it’s a fabulous location for a Trader Joe’s,” said Crossley. “It’s purpose-made space with 17-foot ceilings and on-site parking. It’s a pretty rare commodity.”
J.K. Dineen is a reporter at the San Francisco Business Times, an affiliated publication. email@example.com | 503-219-3415
- Most popular
- "Holy (blank)!" OHSU's Druker tells the story behind $100M Knight gift
- OHSU announces $100M anonymous gift to Knight Cancer Challenge
- Check out Portland's super cool, super high tech, super bike
- 5 fun facts from Nike's proxy statement
- On with the show: So. Waterfront gets major music festival
- After a big year, another round of big paychecks for Nike executives
- Portland's Pearl West lands its first big-name tenant
- MBank exploring medical marijuana banking
- NuScale set to add scores of Oregon jobs
- Frontier has fiber plans for the Portland suburbs
Finance Director City of DuPont | Dupont, WA
VP of Professional Services G5 | Bend, OR
Director, Donor Services and Logistics Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region | Tacoma, WA
Director of Marketing 3Degrees | Portland, OR
Entry Level Sales & Sales Management Trail Blazers Marketing | Portland, OR


text:
© Vogue Images
This week, Baja East designer John Targon joined Marc Jacobs in a yet-to-be clarified role—the first major hire under new chief executive Eric Marechalle. The appointment comes at turbulent time for the LVMH-owned brand, which announced the closure of its London store in addition to numerous European locations last month. As he enters into the picture, get to know the latest designer to join the brand.
Before joining the team at Marc Jacobs, Targon co-founded the New York-based it-label Baja East with Scott Studenberg, which has been showing at New York Fashion Week since 2014 and is today carried at such influential retailers such as Barneys in New York, Maxfield in Los Angeles and Net-a-Porter. As purveyors of a self-proclaimed “loose luxury”, the brand prides itself on an array of easy-to-wear, off-duty pieces: Think slim-legged sweatpants and tie-dyed hoodies, but also proper luxurious cashmere and even swimwear sets, designed for young urban professional types who work by rooftop pools—or perhaps the beach.
Even before starting his own brand, the designer amassed a decade's worth of experience in sales. Until 2013, Targon worked as the director of wholesale for menswear at Burberry, following stints at Céline, Condé Nast and Prada. Such experience on the business side of fashion is rare—and makes him an appealing talent in today's challenging retail climate.
In 2015, Baja East was named a LVMH Prize finalist alongside the likes of Vetements, Off-White and Marques'Almeida. Although the label did not ultimately take home the €300,000 in prize money, it did secure its status as one of the buzziest shows of New York Fashion Week. Plus, it was a chance to shake hands with Karl Lagerfeld. “We met Karl Lagerfeld,” Studenberg recalled to Out Magazine in 2015, “and when we told him about our ambisex concept, he stopped us right away and said, ‘Everyone has two arms and two legs!' ”
Heralded as one of the 10 faces of the next generation of American designers, Targon and Studenberg were nominated for US's most prestigious young designers' prize in 2015, competing in a series of design challenges before a panel of experts including designer Diane von Furstenberg and American Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
For a brand founded just half a decade ago, Baja East has managed to accumulate an impressive roster of celebrity fans. A quick scroll through the brand's Instagram feed reveals that Lady Gaga is a #bajabae, as is Winnie Harlow, Miley Cyrus and Karlie Kloss. Pop stars Justine Skye and Demi Lovato have been seen in Targon's creations, as well as models Bella Hadid and Duckie Thot.


text:
Micheldever Tyre Services (MTS) has announced that Falken Tyres, for which MTS has exclusive UK distribution rights, will sponsor a series of programmes on Dave, UKTV’s entertainment channel.
MTS have worked with acceleration agency Spark Foundry to deliver a new advertising strategy for Falken Tyres brand, spearheaded by the Dave TV sponsorship. In line with Falken’s growth in the UK, it marks the first national TV campaign for the tyre brand.
The new campaign will reflect Falken’s core brand values, showcasing how through innovative technology, Falken Tyres deliver the performance and durability of premium manufacturers whilst still providing exceptional value.
As part of the TV campaign Falken idents will appear before and after selected programmes – collectively called “Characters on Dave”. These will include popular shows such as QI XL, Travel Man and Would I Lie To You?. The campaign will run from Monday 1st February until November 2021.
Rory Carlin, Wholesale Marketing General Manager at Micheldever said: “We wanted a property that would allow us to reach a broader audience at a national level.
“Spark Foundry has provided invaluable insights into our audience, helped to deepen our understanding of them and identified exciting new opportunities for the Falken brand. We’re really looking forward to rolling out this new sponsorship together.”
Pete Edwards, CEO, Spark Foundry said: “Since establishing Falken’s presence in the market on a regional level, we are excited to be supporting Falken with a fresh, invigorated strategy.
“After establishing Falken’s regional awareness, this national TV sponsorship will really help to accelerate the brand within the UK market even further. We’re proud to help drive Falken in this new direction.”
SPP is running the sponsorship, with UKTV producing the creative.FALKEN
Want to advertise here?


text:
On September 18, Facebook shook the Nigerian cyberspace with an announcement. “[W]e’re opening a new Facebook office in Lagos,” the company wrote.
It was another validation for the Lagos metropolis, which has enjoyed memorable visits from global tech’s big wigs including Sundar Pichai of Google, Jack Dorsey of Twitter and, of course, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook.
The Lagos office is scheduled to open in H1 2021 and will house several teams including sales, partnerships, policy and communications. But there’s more; Engineers. For the first time, Facebook will maintain a team of engineers on the African continent.
“All across Africa we’re seeing immense talent in the tech ecosystem,” said Ime Archibong, Facebook’s Head of New Product Experimentation. “I’m proud that with the upcoming opening of our new office, we’ll be building products for the future of Africa, and the rest of the world, with Africans at the helm.”
This is great news for the Nigerian and African tech scene. Facebook’s new office will complement other activities the company runs in Nigeria, including NG Hub, a tech hub, and engagement activities with small businesses.
The social media company has 27.5 million users in the country, its largest userbase out of its 131 million users on the continent. Over the last few years, Facebook has been looking for growth and consolidating its dominant position on the internet. It originally tried Asia, particularly China, but that ended badly as Beijing imposed the Great Firewall of China, blocking Western internet platforms including Facebook, Twitter and even Google.
Since then, Facebook has increased its focus on other regions like Africa. Just around 23% of the continent’s 1.2 billion people are connected to mobile internet. Only 191 million or 15% of the population had active social media accounts in 2018.
Facebook needs these numbers to improve. It has committed resources to improve internet access. One example is Free Basics. In partnership with telcos in over a dozen African countries, Free Basics gives mobile users free access to a limited number of websites including Facebook.com.
The social media giant is also partnering with telecom companies to lay both in-country fibre cables and undersea cables across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2018, the company partnered Airtel Africa and the Bandwidth & Cloud Services Group (BCS) to deploy 800km of fibre in Uganda. A similar project was undertaken in Nigeria.
Facebook is also laying an undersea cable system that stretches from Europe and circles the entire African continent. Dubbed 2Africa, the project has been described as the world’s largest subsea cable project and will have several landing points around Africa. The project will be completed by 2024.
Currently, Facebook has no data centre in Africa. But this could change with the development of the 2Africa project. And there are different reasons for this too.
The African region is quickly becoming prominent for cloud services providers. Since 2018, International companies including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Huawei have developed data centres on the continent, mostly in South Africa. IBM announced its first Africa data centre way earlier in 2016.
Other cloud and data services companies are expanding their infrastructure and capabilities in Africa as internet adoption continues to rise. Nigeria’s RackCentre is making a $100 million expansion of its data centre business in West Africa following the backing of UK investment firm, Actis. Actis is also looking to spend $250 million in cloud businesses on the continent.
African telecom infrastructure companies like IHS Towers, Helios Towers and Eaton Towers are also positioning themselves for the future growth of mobile.
These are important signals and could significantly improve data centre and cloud capabilities on the continent.
This improves the chances that more companies will host their data centres in Africa. And that is really interesting.
Geographically, Africa is strategically located. “Given the geophysical location of Africa, very much in line with Europe, same time zone, it’s sort of in the middle point of these timezones: east to the US and west of Asia,” said a source at one of Nigeria’s leading data centre companies.
“For data interconnectivity, that’s a significant benefit especially for Lagos in Nigeria, where geophysical location cuts the latency between Europe and Southern Africa by half. And we’re also geophysically located in the midpoint of the Greenwich Meridian across the East and the West.”
If certain fundamentals are provided in Africa, the continent is likely to see global supply chains start to develop to diversify to risks for companies around the world.
This is becoming important as global politics forces companies to rethink where they locate data centres. And Facebook has recently become a victim.
In July, the Menlo Park-company suffered a defeat at the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The CJEU invalidated Privacy Shield, a special legal framework regulating transfers of personal data from the EU to the US. The ruling questioned the efforts of US surveillance practices and its impact on EU data transferred across the Atlantic.
Meanwhile, Facebook has clear rules on where it chooses to site its data centres.
“There’s an important difference between providing a service in a country and storing people’s data there,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in 2019. “As we build our infrastructure around the world, we’ve chosen not to build data centres in countries that have a track record of violating human rights like privacy or freedom of expression. If we build data centres and store sensitive data in these countries, rather than just caching non-sensitive data, it could make it easier for those governments to take people’s information.”
It is difficult to argue the Nigerian case against these benchmarks. The country has a flawed democracy and continues to rank poorly on democratic indices and has poor human rights records.
But for all its maleficence, Nigeria has made one of the fewest requests for Facebook user data. In 2019, the government made a total of 12 requests, compared to 101,862 requests made by the US government.
So maybe Nigeria is not a bad place for Facebook to set up shop? Perhaps.
But there’s more.
Facebook is planning to enter the West African at a time when the government is set to roll out its own digital tax. In February, the president, Muhammadu Buhari, signed the Finance Bill. It includes important sections that give the Minister of Finance blanket powers to impose a tax on non-resident digital services that have “significant economic presence” in Nigeria. Facebook, Google, Netflix, Amazon, AWS, among others may have to ready their pockets should the minister go ahead.
As big as this issue, it is rarely talked about. Facebook’s Vice President of Policy and Communication, Nick Clegg had a virtual meeting with Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President on September 18. The meeting lasted more than 30 mins but the topic of digital tax never came up.
Regardless, this topic won’t go away soon as tax revenue generation is top of the mind of the government. With the instability of global oil prices, the Nigerian government has increased VAT from 5% to 7.5%. It has also sought to draw more employed people into the tax system by offering incentives. Facebook may be paying close attention to these activities.


text:
We have already talked about the new Honor 50 series, which is expected to come in June this year. The series will consist of Honor 50, 50 Pro, and 50 Pro+ devices and will come with a Snapdragon 888 SoC. We now learned that this series might come with Google apps. What’s the big news here? Let’s go a little back.
We already know that Honor was initially launched as a sub-brand of Huawei. The parent company faced some big US sanctions that led the company to release the handsets with Google, which was a pretty big loss. And being a sub-brand of Huawei, Honor had to face similar issues. But this is soon going to over since Honor is no longer a sub-brand of Huawei but an independent entity.
According to the source, the new phones will still run MagicUI, but Honor says it will include several exclusive features on top of it. The Honor 50 series would come with Google apps, which would mark a big step forward for the company as it seeks to renter the global smartphone market scene and regain its lost territories.
June is not so far from us, and we expect the new Honor 50 series to come in this month. We hope to see the new series full of the company’s own goodies, besides Google apps.
It has been a long time since I joined Research Snipers. Though I have been working as a part-time tech-news writer, it feels good to be part of the team. Besides that, I am building a finance-based blog, working as a freelance content writer/blogger, and a video editor.


text:
January 24, 2017
Industry Alert: Update to the Publication for Streamlined Mail Acceptance for Letters and Flats and Address Quality Census Method. The Publication for Streamlined Mail Acceptance for Letters and Flats was posted in July of 2016. Valuable feedback was provided from the Industry. The Publication will officially be posted as a proposed rule through the Federal Register Notice process in March of 2017 and comments will be accepted. The Postal Service also published a proposed Address Quality Census Method and Assessment Process Federal Register Notice in July of 2016, which also received many valuable comments. Another proposed notice will be sent through the Federal Register Notice process in February of 2017 and comments will be accepted. In order to give the Industry the opportunity to review both proposed notices the USPS has posted a draft version of the Publication for Streamlined Mail Acceptance for Letters and Flats on PostalPro at: http://postalpro.usps.com/node/581. The proposed Address Quality Census Method and Assessment Process Federal Register Notice draft is posted on PostalPro here:https://postalpro.usps.com/node/1141.
Federal Register: Postal Service - Notices: Product Changes - Priority Mail Negotiated Service Agreement, 8230 [2017-01557] [PDF]
PRWeb: TEC Mailing Solutions LLC receives the first certification for online postal processing through the United States Postal Service for their MailPreparer® portal (http://www.MailPreparer.com). The certification is the result of extensive testing by the United States Postal Service and allows users to be confident recommended solutions meet stringent “full service” requirements to receive “the best pricing on automation discounts.” TEC’s solutions are more affordable than entry-level on-premise postal software and produce a much better work product so less first-class mail gets returned. Less standard mail ends up in the land fill which is an aspect many smaller mailers don’t think about. Users of on-premise postal software in the $1500- $3000 price range that mail less than two million pieces of mail a month are encouraged to evaluate the recommended USPS cloud-based solutions.
WashingtonPost: True to his campaign promise, President Trump ordered a federal hiring freeze on Monday. Trump’s order says “no vacant positions existing at noon on January 22, 2017, may be filled and no new positions may be created, except in limited circumstances.” The directors of the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management were told to “recommend a long-term plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through attrition." Government data shows that turnover has averaged about 210,000 jobs a year over the past five years, out of a workforce of just under 2.1 million. Of those who leave each year, about 75,000 on average quit, 65,000 retire and 55,000 leave because their appointments expire, which is common among temporary employees. About 10,000 are fired. The other separations are due to various reasons, including layoffs and deaths.
January 23, 2017
Office of the Inspector General: No Pipe Dream. Delivery companies are literally digging deeper to develop new systems for getting packages quickly to customers with one futuristic idea having roots in the past. Amazon received a patent for a system to deliver goods via a dedicated network of underground tunnels, according to recent news reports. The 33-page application lays out the specifications for a network that could transport packages via conveyor belts or rails, or even through pneumatic tubes, explains GeekWire. “The system could connect rail stations, airports, fulfillment centers, locker storage sites and, of course, customers,” avoiding the congestion of traditional transportation networks. In the late 19th century, the U.S. Postal Service experimented in a handful of cities with pneumatic mail, mail sent through tubes propelled by compressed air.
PostalNews: USPS surpassed its projections of delivering 750 million packages during peak season, according to new data. On Dec. 19, one of the season’s busiest days, the Postal Service delivered more than 34 million packages. Other peak season numbers: 1) Employees across the nation spent 1.1 million hours on city streets delivering mail and parcels Dec. 19. 2) Throughout peak season, employees drove more than 200 million miles — the equivalent of driving around the world 8,000 times. 3) The San Francisco, CA, Napoleon Street delivery unit processed the most peak season packages.
INDIA: WebIndia: Goa will be the first state in the country to provide electronic transmission of postal ballots to service voters in the Assembly polls. Goa would become first state where all service voters will be covered under our first electronic transmission of postal ballots. Returning officers will transfer the postal ballots to service voters by electronic means so that service voters can download it, fill it and send it back via e-mail to the returning officer. This will cut lot of delay in transmission of postal ballots.
January 22, 2017
INDIA: TimesofIndia: Aurangabad division's first bank of postal department is coming up at Juna Bazar in the city. It will be operational in April 2017 and offer all banking facilities accept loans and credit cards. The Aurangabad division of the postal department comprises of eleven districts and for the past few months, the postal department is launching various initiatives apparently to prepare grounds to make its foray in banking sector effective.
January 21, 2017
CANADA: CBCNEWS: "I love driving across town to pick up my missed deliveries — said no one ever," is how Eric Martin felt when he came up with the idea for Boxr, a "smart bench" that doubles as a secure mailbox. The bench has a lock activated by a keypad. The homeowner can then share that code in the delivery instructions for mail orders. Martin also envisions the box being used for food deliveries. Martin plans on reaching out to Canada Post and other mail delivery companies to get them on board.
January 20, 2017
POSTAL/INDUSTRY NEWSIndustry Alert: Mail Service Disruption In Downtown Los Angeles, CA. The following retail units in the Downtown Los Angeles, CA area are closed due to the Women’s Demonstration in regards to today’s Presidential Inauguration. 500,000 protesters are expected to attend. Please note that these locations are retail units only, with PO Box service and retail operations.
Industry Alert: Process for Mailings Prepared Using Pre-Price Change Mailing Standards; Submitted Post-Price Change on or after January 22, 2017. With the upcoming price changes that go into effect on January 22, 2017, there may be instances where mailings have been prepared using the pre-price change mailing standards and will be presented on or after January 22, 2017. Examples of the mailing standards that are affected are:
Exception Requests - If any mailings are impacted because of these or other changes, mailers and/or mail service providers (MSP) should request an exception to the Pricing and Classification Service Center (PCSC) through their local Business Mail Entry Unit (BMEU). The customer’s written request must be on the customer’s letterhead and state the specific problem, the mailpiece owner, the affected mailing standard(s); including mail class and processing category, the proposed date(s) of mailing, the mailing job ID #, the mailing/submitting Post Office, and when the problem will be resolved. MSPs with multiple mailings of multiple mailpiece owners, and multiple mailing/submitting Post Office locations, must submit the request to only one of those Post Office locations.
For mailings that will be submitted with the pre-price software and mailing after January 21, 2017, the mailer will be required to submit a manual postage statement with the postage calculated with the new prices along with the attached Price Change Adjustment Worksheet that will display the pre-price change total postage, the post price change total postage and the difference or postage adjustment amount.
NonProfitTimes: The Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers (ANM) has asked the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) to request more information from the United States Postal Service (USPS) and also to change the procedures for its 10-year regulatory review of the rate-making system. ANM, along with the MPA – The Association of Magazine Media, filed a motion yesterday with the PRC. The alliance requested more data, including estimates and calculations of the USPS’ actuarial liabilities, real estate valuations, and scorecard performance metrics of the Flats Sequencing System (FSS). Such information would help everyone comment more intelligently to the PRC questions about how well the objectives are being met.
TheConversation: It might seem strange, but UPS delivery vans don’t always take the shortest route between stops. The company gives each driver a specific route to follow and that includes a policy that drivers should never turn through oncoming traffic (that’s left in countries where they drive on the right and vice versa) unless absolutely necessary. UPS have designed their vehicle routing software to eliminate as many left-hand turns as possible (in countries with right-hand traffic). Typically, only 10% of the turns are left turns. As a result, the company claims it uses 10m gallons less fuel, emits 20,000 tonnes less carbon dioxide and delivers 350,000 more packages every year. The efficiency of planning routes with its navigation software this way has even helped the firm cut the number of trucks it uses by 1,100, bringing down the company’s total distance travelled by 28.5m miles – despite the longer routes.
ExhibitorOnline: Orbus Exhibit & Display Group has partnered with UPS to participate in the Carbon Neutral Shipping program. The Carbon Neutral Shipping program is a service offered to businesses by UPS to minimize the impact that shipping has on the environment. UPS’ Carbon Neutral Shipping program offers businesses the option to ship packages as carbon neutral, as a means of reducing the carbon dioxide (CO2) impact that shipping has on the environment.
ALLAHABAD: Nyooz: Customers of any private or public sector bank can withdraw cash from ATM machines set up by the postal department while those having debit cards issued by the post offices could do so through any of the bank ATMs. The Allahabad division of postal department has started providing inter-operable service to its customers after switching over to core banking solution. There are over 35,000 debit card-holders in UP.Postal department is still expanding its ATM services at head post offices and its branches across the country.
NIGERIA: WorldStageNews: The Nigeria Postal Service NIPOST, has assured Nigerians of it prepare-readiness to provide market-driven postal and people oriented services through innovation and technology to boost commerce and further diversity the nation’s economy. The postal agency further said that the exponential growth in marketing accounts forms about thirty percent of mail in the Nigeria post adding that it is determined to ensure full deployment of technology backed payment solutions that would guarantee it market shares. NIPOST promised to accustom Nigerians to the benefit of doing business and commerce with the postal industry considering the existing value-chain which includes the network reach, logistic and warehousing, real estate, financial services and financial solutions.
TANZANIA: Exchange: The government of Tanzania has declared its consideration in the radical-tracking of the usage of the national addressing and postcode system, in the goal of playing a pivotal role in e-commerce development. This calls upon Tanzanians to make maximum use of the postal services as an ingredient to catalyze e-commerce and contribute to the country’s economic growth.
January 19, 2017
PostComMembers !! The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is now available online. Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none? Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. See what you've been missing.
Industry Alert: Bishopville, SC Post Office Closed. Effective immediately, the Bishopville Main Office located at 451 N Main Street, Bishopville, SC 29010-1473 will be closed for repairs until further notice. Until the Bishopville Post Office reopens, alternate retail services and mail service for Post Office Box customers will resume tomorrow from a mobile unit located on-site. Hours of Operation for the mobile unit will be Monday through Saturday, 9:00 am until 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm until 4:30 pm. Distribution and Clerk Operations will be moved to Darlington Main Office, SC 29532. Until a full assessment of the Bishopville Post Office building has been completed and the needed clean up and repairs made, there is no current timeline for resumption of postal operations for this office. The Postal Service regrets any inconvenience to its customers and will work to restore operations for this office as soon as possible. Customers can call 1-800-ASK-USPS or go to the Postal Service’s Website www.usps.com to get the location of other nearby Post Offices and approved postal retail service providers.
Office of the Inspector General: Mail Processing Operations at the Roanoke, VA, Processing and Distribution Center:Our new audit report responds to a Congressional request to review the consolidation of the U.S. Postal Service’s Roanoke, VA, Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC) into the Greensboro, NC, P&DC. The request noted that there was a significant increase in constituent communications regarding lost or delayed mail in the affected congressional districts. Additionally, we received comments from over 500 individual respondents to our Audit Asks web page related to delayed or lost mail as well as other delivery issues. The OIG initiated an audit of one of the consolidations, examining whether the consolidation of the Roanoke P&DC into the Greensboro P&DC, along with relaxed service standards for First Class Mail, affected customer service and whether there was a business case for consolidation. We determined the partial consolidation of Roanoke P&DC mail processing operations into the Greensboro P&DC did not adversely affect customer service, but did see a reduction in service standards. Read the full report here: http://go.usa.gov/x9yEf
Industry Alert: PTR Release 11.0 Deployment - System Outage on Sunday, January 22, 2017. On Sunday, January 22, the U.S. Postal Service will implement Release 11.0 changes to the Product Tracking and Reporting (PTR) system. Release 11.0 overviews have been provided during previous eVS/PTR - MTAC meetings. To effect this change, a system outage will occur on January 22nd from 8:00 PM (ET) through 11:30 PM (ET). All ingest, staging, reporting, and outbound processing will be suspended during this outage period. The USPS Tracking site and Call Center interfaces will be available and functioning throughout the outage window.Federal Register:
PRNewswire: Beginning March 1st a new United Stats Postal Service (USPS) Discount program lets all US-based direct mail companies qualify for up to 5% off their clients' postage costs when they sign on to integrate their clients' campaigns with Google ads using DirectMail2.0. DirectMail2.0, a white-label software available to US-based direct mail companies has been approved for two USPS postage discount programs for 2017. The first discount program is the Emerging and Advanced Technology promotion, which offers 2% off postage for first-class mail with no quantity restrictions. The second discount program is the Direct Mail Starter program, which offers 5% off postage (up to 10,000 pieces) to businesses and nonprofits who are not currently using direct mail.
BRAZIL: BNAmericas: Brazilian state postal service Correios is set to launch its mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) operations next month, beginning with the city of São Paulo. Belo Horizonte and federal capital Brasília will be next in line for the service. The goal is to reach all the states in the country by the end of this year.
UNITED KINGDOM: Latribunadecanarias: Royal Mail said that it is "seeing the impact of overall business uncertainty in the United Kingdom on letter volumes, in particular advertising and business letters". Royal Mail has blamed "business uncertainty" for a collapse in United Kingdom letter revenues, with shares falling 5% on opening to their lowest level for a year. Letters revenue was down 6%, a clear sign of the difficulty facing the business.
January 18, 2017
Industry News: 2017 Price Change Takes Effect This Weekend Reminder Notice for Industry Members: The 2017 Price Change for Market Dominant, Competitive Products, and Special Services will take effect this weekend, on Sunday, January 22, 2017.
Industry News: Small Number of Washington, DC 5-Digit ZIP Codes Will Not Be Delivered
Due to Presidential Inauguration. Certain routes within the Presidential Inauguration security area in the following ZIP Codes, will not see delivery on Friday, January 20. They are:
Normal operations will resume on Saturday, January 21, 2017.
BLS.gov: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in December on a seasonally adjusted basis, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index rose 2.1 percent before seasonal adjustment.
MassLive: The Postal Service will raise the price of its first-class "forever" postage stamps by 2 cents on Sunday, Jan. 22. The price of a stamp will go from 47 cents to 49 cents. The price will not change for postcards, for mail to international destinations or for additional ounces for letters.
FederalNewsRadio: Current and former federal and postal workers are hearing plenty of targeted bad news. They are hearing and reading that pay raises will be frozen and hiring will be stopped. Future hires could be a sorry, scared lot if Congress dumps civil service rules and makes them “at will” employees — meaning they could be fired almost anytime, for any reason. And Congress might also revive an 1876-vintage gem that would allow any member of Congress to cut the salary of any member of the federal civil service.
NWLaborPress: Postal unions declared victory this month when the United States Post Office notified the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) that the “Approved Shipper” program at roughly 500 Staples stores will be shut down by the end of February 2017. Late in 2013, USPS set up post offices staffed by Staples employees in 82 Staples stores — a move postal unions called a first step in privatizing the Post Office. APWU launched a Stop Staples campaign, staging protests at Staples stores throughout the country. The demonstrations were followed by a national Staples boycott. The union filed unfair labor practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) arguing USPS was improperly subcontracting bargaining unit work to Staples. The NLRB agreed, and on Jan. 4 it ordered the Postal Service to discontinue its retail relationship with Staples.
BURMA: Irrawandy: Burma’s postal service has increased public trust after receiving technical expertise from Japan, said the Japanese parliamentary vice-minister for internal affairs and communications. Japanese specialists conducted a comprehensive review and survey on the Burmese postal service and introduced a system called “Kessoku,” which aimed to optimize operation schedules for precise and efficient deliveries. Delivery times for express mail between cities—which had averaged 2-3 days in the past—were shortened to 1.1 days and deliveries of ordinary mail—which had taken 4-5 days—were shortened to 1.6 days.
IRELAND: Post&Parcel: Ireland’s Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has indicated that it is “concerned” about An Post’s 2017 price increases. An Post, following the proposed repeal of the price cap, is planning price increases in 2017 of the order of 14%-35%. ComReg had concerns because: “large mailers are very price sensitive and will move to electronic substitutes”; and “there is limited scope to gain significant additional revenue from SMEs”.
ZAMBIA: Lusakatimes: Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) says Zambia’s Postal Sector has great potential to steer economic development both at national and international levels. The sector in Zambia has greater potential to contribute immensely to the national development, and has since implored players in the postal services sector in Zambia to embrace technology and innovation to improve on efficiency and service deliver. The postal infrastructure in Zambia and international levels has a solid track record of trust with customers which has been built and nurtured from time immemorial.
January 18, 2017
Office of the Inspector General: Flexible Workforce: Like many other large organizations, the U.S. Postal Service relies on non-career employees to supplement its workforce and reduce staffing costs, though these positions often have a higher turnover rate. This week’s blog looks at the findings of a recent OIG audit, which learned that by employing best practices and lowering the monthly turnover rate from 3.6% to 2.9%, the Postal Service could have reduced its hiring and training costs by $23 million in FY2016. Read our full blog and learn more here.
PostalReporter: The Richmond Main Post Office has forced employees to work off the clock, deleting or altering their hours to keep overtime low in violation of federal labor law, a lawsuit filed Friday in U.S. District Court on behalf of 17 local letter carriers alleges. The suit says the U.S. Postal Service has slashed its staffing and labor costs by $10 billion over the past decade, making it difficult for carriers to finish their routes during their scheduled shifts. At least in part due to budget reductions, management and supervisors are under pressure to keep labor costs down by not paying overtime premiums.
Bitcoin: The US Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the law enforcement arm of the US Postal Service, has listed a job opening something called an “Intelligence Gathering Specialist.” Candidates must understand bitcoin, darknet markets and how to analyze the information stored on a blockchain. The listing hints the agency is sharpening its cyber crime efforts. The USPIS prefers candidates with experience evaluating internet information in social media, chats, forums, darknets, Tor network, news feeds, internet relay chats and other web materials.
JAPAN: NikkeiAsianReview: A second offering of Japan Post Holdings shares in the works for as soon as summer is the critical next step toward postal privatization, though a market downturn could bring significant delays. The ministry, long the postal companies' sole owner, sold off the first 20% stake in Japan Post Holdings for 1.4 trillion yen (around $11.6 billion at the time) in November 2015. Proceeds up to this amount are anticipated in fiscal 2017 as well, according to the ministry's special-account budget draft. By fiscal 2022, the plan is to hold roughly one more share sale, bringing the government's stake in the holding company to a little over a third. The government is set to use 4 trillion yen from the stock sales, including the 2015 offering, to pay for recovery efforts linked to the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
SOUTH AFRICA: ZDNET: South African startup WumDrop has launched a new precision service that delivers parcels to GPS coordinates taken from a customer's phone, rather than a physical address. The Deliver2Me service, which relies on old-fashioned trucks and bikes to drop off packages rather than drones, is launching with the backing of a local retail group but has been on trial since November. Founder Simon Hartley says during the testing phase, the firm boasted "100 percent accuracy" for delivery, beating traditionally-addressed deliveries over the same space of time.
January 16, 2017
WashingtonPost: The U.S. Post Office says some District of Columbia customers will see changes in service because of the presidential inauguration. Six facilities will be closed Friday and some postal zones won’t get mail. Operations are to return to normal on Saturday.
January 15, 2017
TransportTopicsNews: Americans for Modern Transportation, a new coalition of shippers and retailers led by FedEx Corp. and Amazon.com intends to press congressional lawmakers this year to approve nationwide access of twin 33-foot trailers. While the group argued the longer combination trailers would be safer and gain greater fuel efficiency, opponents balk at sharing roadways with the longer combinations.
January 13, 2017
Federal Register: Postal Service - Proposed Rules, Seamless Acceptance Program, 4231-4232 [2016-32057] [PDF]
Office of the Inspector General: Inbound International Mail Operations – [Redacted] Service Center. An update from the December 29, 2016 posting.
Office of the Inspector General: Developing a Successful Enterprise Information Security Policy: The information security landscape is constantly changing and, as such, it is critical that the Postal Service maintain information security policies that protect its critical applications and infrastructure. With an information security framework based on industry best practices in place, the Postal Service should maintain the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of its information technology.
Industry Alert: Burlington, TX Post Office Closed for Repairs. Mail being temporarily forwarded to the Rosebud Post Office. Effective immediately, the Burlington Post Office, located at 14 Church Street, Burlington, TX 76519 will be closed for repairs of a collapsed ceiling until further notice. Until the Burlington Post Office reopens, alternate retail services and mail service for Post Office Box customers with ZIP Code 76519 will be provided during normal business hours by the Rosebud Post Office, 206 N 5th Street, Rosebud, TX 76570. Business hours for the Rosebud Post Office are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Until a full assessment of the Burlington Post Office building has been completed and the needed clean up and repairs are made, there is no current timeline for resumption of postal operations for this office. The Postal Service regrets any inconvenience to its customers and will work to restore operations for this office as soon as possible. Customers can call 1-800-ASK-USPS or go to the Postal Service’s Website www.usps.com to get the location of other nearby Post Offices and approved postal retail service providers.
Industry Alert: Washington, DC Post Offices Closed Due to Presidential Inauguration. The following units will be closed on Friday January 20, 2017. There will not be any retail operations (including PO Box mail) at these locations:
Yahoo! : Shippo, the leading API platform for shipping, today announced they are the first to launch USPS ePostage for general access. Through USPS' new ePostage program, Shippo enables any business to access USPS shipping services online. This is the first license of this type issued since 1999, marking an important step for USPS and Shippo as they drive innovation in shipping for ecommerce businesses, marketplaces and platforms globally. Through its current agreement, any Shippo customer can access the USPS directly, relying on a seamless and transparent process for shipping.
Post&Parcel: FedEx Vice President for Operations and Service Support Gloria Boyland has been named to the new US Department of Transportation Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation (ACAT). The ACAT team, which is comprised of 25 leading professionals and experts in their field, serves as a critical resource for the DOT in “framing federal policy for the continued development and deployment of automated transportation”.
LandLineMagazine: Truckers Against Trafficking announced this week a new partnership with UPS Freight to harness the power of the trucking community to help address human trafficking in the United States. Through this partnership, which will be deployed throughout 2017, all of UPS Freight’s more than 8,000 drivers will receive training on how to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking activity. The announcement follows the completion of a pilot project between TAT and UPS Freight across 10 states in December, which successfully trained 1,500 drivers on the proper response and available resources to combat human trafficking. UPS Freight will also support TAT with quarterly in-kind transportation of TAT’s Freedom Drivers Project, which uses a semi-tractor trailer equipped with educational resources to serve as a mobile educational exhibit on human trafficking.
IRELAND: FORA: A DUBLIN-BASED company has launched a new mail service aimed at businesses that is looking to break An Post’s stranglehold on the market. Dublin-based CityPost has unveiled its ‘iPOST’ service, which it said will provide a “one-stop-solution” for businesses, providing services such as free printing, envelopes and processing. Letters will cost 66c each to send by iPost, which is slightly less than the cost of a standard 72c stamp. The mail will be delivered by CityPost An Post, dependent on location. An Post already offers its own mass-mailing system to companies, which CityPost is paying to use.
January 12, 2017
PostComMembers !! The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is now available online. Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none? Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. See what you've been missing.
Postal Regulatory Commission: The following is a Press Release. Today (January 12, 2017) the Postal Regulatory Commission (Commission) released its Annual Report to the President and Congress providing an account of the activities undertaken by the Commission during 2016. Under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA), the Commission is required to address in its report information concerning the operations of the Commission, including the extent to which regulations are achieving the rate setting objectives of the PAEA. The law also requires the Commission to include an estimate of the costs incurred by the Postal Service to provide certain services that the Postal Service would not otherwise have provided except for the requirements of the law.
The report details the many accomplishments of the Commission of the past year. Chairman Robert Taub said, “We will build upon the agency’s strong foundation of accomplishments for even further milestones in staff achievement, the timeliness and quality of work products, and the efficiency and effectiveness of agency operations.” As this Annual Report is the first one issued to the new Congress and Administration, Chairman Taub also noted that “the Commission looks forward to a productive dialogue on how to ensure a vital and efficient universal mail system for years to come.”
Download a complete copy of the Commission’s 2016 Annual Report at www.prc.gov. http://www.prc.gov/docs/98/98653/2016%20Annual%20Report%20Final.pdf
Forbes: In terms of actual volume, we need to look at the latest numbers for email king MailChimp, versus the U.S. Postal Service, the contest isn’t even close anymore. By MailChimp’s tally, its customers sent out 242 billion emails last year. That exceeds the Postal Service’s latest annual count for handling physical mail by 57%, or 88 billion pieces. What’s more, the Postal Service requires 493,381 career employees and another 131,732 temporary workers to get its job done. MailChimp’s systems are so automated that the Atlanta-based company gets by with slightly more than 500 employees, total.
Fortune: FedEx announced earlier this week that it signed a multi-year deal with Walgreens to add about 8,000 Walgreens stores as points of service delivery. “After what FedEx called a ‘small-scale’ this spring, drop-off and pick up of pre-packaged and pre-labeled will be available at almost all Walgreens stores by the fall of 2018. One key benefit of such services is that shippers can leave a package when someone isn't home to accept it, thereby lowering the number of failed delivery attempts, which are costly to the likes of FedEx and UPS and create backlogs. And in the case of Walgreens, the ubiquity of its stores was a selling point for FedEx.”
PostalNews: Donald Trump’s demand that the Republican Congress immediately repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare, could have serious implications for postal workers. Most at risk would be non-career employees not eligible for the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) program. Some of those employees have received coverage under a USPS sponsored plan that was set up in order to comply with the ACA. Career postal workers and retirees won’t be unaffected by the repeal of Obamacare.
The Street: The tone in retail has been pretty downbeat over the past few days, with announcements from companies like Macy's and J.C. Penney reporting disappointing holiday sales. By these results, it would appear as though there was a real slowdown in the economy. But luckily, online sales were able to surge higher during the season, with online sales racking up an absurd $91.7 billion during the two-month span between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31. Those figures climbed 11% from the same period a year ago and show that the e-commerce market remains strong. Looking to a few of the more popular shopping days during that period, Cyber Monday accounted for $3.4 billion in sales, up 12% year-over-year, while Black Friday sales of $3.34 billion climbed an impressive 22%.
CNBC: “The Social Security Administration announced in a blog post that it would send fewer statements in the mail in an attempt to cut down costs. Only individuals who are 60 and over, who aren't receiving benefits and who don't have a My Social Security account online will get paper statements. This measure will reduce the cost of processing and mailing statements by $11.3 million in the 2017 fiscal year, according to the blog post. This latest move marks the second time Social Security has trimmed its mailing schedule for statements. Back in 2011, the agency stopped mailing its annual paper statements to save on costs. After a wave of criticism and a push from Congress, in September 2014 the agency resumed sending paper statements to workers who aren't receiving benefits and who haven't signed up for an online account.
January 11, 2017
Federal Register: Postal Regulatory Commission: Notices: New Postal Products 3365, [2017-00406] [PDF]Industry Alert: Final Mailer Scorecard Hotline Call on Friday, January 13, 2017 at 2:00pm (ET) - The Mailer Scorecard Hotline Webinars that were scheduled for every Wednesday and Friday at 2:00pm (ET) will soon be discontinued. The final call will be held this Friday, January, 13, 2017. Teleconference information: Provide your phone number when you join the meeting to receive a call back. Alternatively, you can call: Call-in toll-free number: 1-855-860-7461 (US) Conference Code: 472 163 0566. Go to https://uspsmeetings.webex.com/uspsmeetings/j.php?MTID=m2dd28be6eb27b3fcc6c6c0e34ad2bf0f. If you have any questions concerning the Mailer Scorecard or the Full-Service Assessments, contact the PostalOne! Help Desk at 800-522-9085.
PublishingExecutive: More than seven years after it began rolling out, the billion-dollar system that was supposed to revolutionize how publications and other flat mail are handled is still making the U.S. Postal Service less, not more, efficient. In fact, the Flats Sequencing System’s performance, already well below plan, declined even further last year, according to a recent USPS report. Buried in a USPS report issued just before New Year’s were the latest ugly facts: FSS throughputs declined 6% last year, and the proportion of FSS mail that was sorted on older equipment or manually rose from 40% to 43%. “Mail Pieces At-Risk” also rose 6%, affecting 1 of every 18 magazines, catalogs, and retail flyers. Previously, postal officials have blamed declining mail volumes and flimsy mail pieces for the poor performance. Neither of those issues are going away.
WashingtonPost: National Postal Museum director, Allen Kane, retires after 14 years leading Smithsonian branch. Kane embraced the possibilities he found at the museum, which opened in 1993 and is one of the smallest in the Smithsonian complex. He dramatically expanded its exhibition space by opening the world’s largest stamp gallery. He increased the staff and the number of exhibitions, displayed rare and internationally famous stamps, and created a website focused solely on renowned stamps and collections. He improved fundraising and built a network of volunteers who help curators develop and create exhibitions. Colleagues credit Kane’s management skills and personality for strengthening the institution, which has 6 million objects in its collection, the second largest in the Smithsonian. Last week, the Smithsonian named Marshall F. “Marty” Emery, the museum’s manager of public relations and Internet affairs, as acting director until a national search for a permanent director is completed.
CANADA: CalgaryHerald: An Ontario-based company, Drone Delivery Canada, aiming to become Canada’s first provider of drone parcel delivery services is about to begin commercial testing in the wide-open skies of southeast Alberta. The company will use the Alberta location to test its systems with the goal of progressing to commercial rollout of its drone delivery logistics platform. The company, which has already signed deals with office supply giant Staples and automotive supplier NAPA Auto Parts — both of which are interested in using new technology to expand their logistics capabilities — hopes to develop an unmanned aerial delivery system that will eventually allow corporate and government clients to deliver packages across Canada via drone.
CHINA: FinanceMagnates: Postal Savings Bank of China (PSBC) has launched a blockchain-based asset custody system developed IBM using its Hyperledger Fabric. The system already executed more than 100 real business transactions on the blockchain since it went live in October 2016, involving the buying and selling bonds. The PSBC says that during the trial period, the system demonstrated blockchain’s ability to help streamline the traditionally complex credit verification process and manage risk, helping financial institutions operate more securely and efficiently. The blockchain solution enables the real-time sharing of information by multiple parties and eliminates repeated credit verification, which reduces the operation process by about 60%-80% based on performance improvement data from PSBC.
ESTONIA: EstoniaNews: The e-receipt project of the Estonian postal company, Omniva, was shortlisted for the European Business awards for innovation. This year, about 33,000 companies from 34 countries applied for the European Business Awards that, according to a statement by Omniva, is Europe’s largest business competition since 2007. The e-receipt portal is a system that enables end users to manage receipts and related documents, such as letters of guarantee and product manuals, in a single web environment. The users will be able to reduce problems and costs related to paper receipts, thereby increasing the quality of customer service. It also enables customers to send receipts directly to accountancy.
INDIA: UMMID: Recently the postal department of India has commemorated great deeds and achievements of eight personalities of Bihar by releasing stamps on them. But the most surprising thing about this was the omission of Syed Mahmud, one of the foremost freedom fighters from Bihar. The most conspicuous omission was of Syed Mahmud. The presumption is that whoever has prepared the list of Bihar series of postal stamp, is either ignorant about Syed Mahmud’s contribution to India’s freedom struggle, or the usual communal mindset prevails in such selections and omissions may have prevailed.
NIGERIA:DailyTrust: The Post-Master General (PMG) and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Asiwaju Bisiyi Adegbuyi, has reiterated his commitment to reposition the agency for effective service delivery. He made the pledge in Bauchi on Wednesday while speaking to journalist saying that measures are being put in place to integrate more technological innovations into NIPOST operations. The Post Master General dismissed the fear being expressed about an alleged looming staff retrenchment and also raised the alarm over alleged plans by some persons to sabotage efforts being made by NIPOST to improve service delivery in postal services.
UNITED KINGDOM: PackagingEurope: Blake, the postal packaging experts have opened their second ‘Hub of Excellence’ in Leeds. This follows the opening of their first hub in Edinburgh in October last year. Managing Director, Michael Barter said, “The primary reason for creating the Hubs of Excellence was to ensure Blake is geographically available in some of the most strategic business locations across the UK. Being ‘onsite’ ensures we can develop relationships with those in-the-know with regards to print, envelopes and the postal packaging."
January 10, 2017
Industry Alert: Proposed Electronic Induction (eInduction®) Language Changes to Domestic Mail Manual. The Postal Service proposes to revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) to add language regarding streamlining the processing of drop shipments and expedited plant load mailings. Industry members may submit comments through the Federal Register Process on or before February 8, 2017. Please refer to the following link for more information on the proposed changes and for directions on sending comments through mail, personal delivery, or email: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/01/09/2016-32056/electronic-induction-einduction-option
Federal Register: Postal Service: Production or Disclosure of Material or Information, 2896 [2017-00106] [PDF]
January 9, 2017
Industry Alert: Retail Offices have Resumed Operations in Alabama District. All offices listed below have resumed operations as of Monday, January 9, 2017
Post&Parcel: California Congresswoman Susan Davis has re-introduced her bipartisan resolution which aims to “protect” door delivery by the US Postal Service (USPS). In a statement issued on Friday (6 January), Congresswoman Davis said: “Ending door delivery of mail is not good for postal customers, businesses, or the Postal Service. “I’ve heard from constituents who are forced to use cluster mailboxes and they report all kinds of problems with them. My constituents with door delivery are very vocal about wanting to keep this critical service.” Davis added: “Eliminating door delivery would drive mail and revenue from the Postal Service, devaluing postal mail in the long run as individuals and businesses advertisers would likely send less mail.”
Washington&Lee: A team of students from Washington University in St. Louis is hoping to address both issues with First Class Meal, a prototype program that would improve food access and equality by pairing mobile technology with the physical resources and distribution networks of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The group centered its proposal in Los Angeles. Though the city and county boast dynamic food cultures and proximity to California’s productive farmlands, more than 1 million residents currently lack food security — the highest such concentration in the nation. Nonprofits such as Chefs to End Hunger and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank face great demand but limited warehouse space. Meanwhile, in recent years, dozens of local postal branches have been reviewed for possible closure or consolidation. The students propose adapting those branches to collect, store and distribute food. When items are ready for pickup, local residents and area food banks could potentially use a mobile app to notify USPS workers, who would then collect — and perhaps even deliver — food items alongside mail.
GeekWire: Nestled among drones, audio equipment, and robots on the CES show floor is an organization you wouldn’t expect to find...U.S. Postal Service. The mail carrier was there to show off its new Precious Cargo Box, a funny-looking upgrade to the standard package with polyurethane blobs designed specifically to protect electronics. The box comes in three sizes, designed to house a smartphone, laptop, or tablet. USPS also demoed some future innovations including a talking blue collection mailbox that can provide info about nearby locations, weigh packages, and more.
SINGAPORE: NewsInfo: Former Postmaster General Josefina Mendoza-Dela Cruz of the Philippine Postal Corporation was charged with 15 counts of violation of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) law for failing to remit to the state corporation one employee’s loan amortization. According the charge sheet filed before the Sandiganbayan, the Office of the Special Prosecutor accused Dela Cruz, area director Bernardito Gonzales, and accountant Arlene Bendanillo of allegedly conspiring and confederating with one another to commit the criminal offense of failing to remit to the GSIS at least P35,178.45 worth of loan amortizations.
January 8, 2017
Industry Alert: Post Offices Prepare to Reopen in Greensboro District on Monday, January 9, 2017. Winter Storm Helena – 8:00a.m. Update. Retail Impacts: All offices listed below will reopen on 1/9/2017
PostalNews: A bill introduced by GOP congressman Todd Rokita of Indiana would eliminate civil service protections, including the right to union representation for all new federal employees, including new postal workers. A key provision of Rokita’s “Promote Accountability and Government Efficiency (PAGE) Act” states: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any employee in the civil service (as that term is defined in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code) hired on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act shall be hired on an at-will basis. Such an employee may be removed or suspended, without notice or right to appeal, from service by the head of the agency at which such employee is employed for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all.
HeraldBulletin: Mail carriers are “the most endangered job” in the country, according to a Careercast.com survey that looked at U.S. Department of Labor Statistics data to determine careers with the lowest career growth outlook. The USDLS expects to see a 28 percent decline in mail carrier jobs by 2024, resulting in the loss of around 136,000 jobs over the next eight years.
January 7, 2017
Industry Alert: Retail Closures in Alabama District (Inclement Weather)
Industry Alert: Retail Closures in Greensboro District: Winter Storm Helena – 8:00a.m. Update.
State of emergency declared for the state of North Carolina. Snow and ice accumulations vary across the state from 1 to 7 inches.
Postal Service: Electronic Induction (eInduction) Option, [2016-30409] [PDF]
Transit Times: Snow disrupted operations at the FedEx Express Memphis hub overnight and prompted Delta Air Lines to cancel four Jan. 6 afternoon flights between Memphis and Atlanta. Numerous FedEx flights and some passenger flights in and out of Memphis International Airport were delayed by the snowstorm.
FRANCE: PCMag: "Voyeur" is a French word, but surely it means the same thing in France as it does here, right? No respectable business would want to be associated with it, I always assumed, least of all a postal service. But as I trudged up a flight of stairs at CES here on Friday afternoon with a code unscrambling filter in my hand, I realized how wrong I was. My destination was a movie theater built into the booth of La Poste, the French postal service. This was no ordinary theater, though. The screen was embedded in the booth's floor, and the audience stood on a catwalk above it, looking down through the rectangular filters that we were given on the way in. Almost immediately after the movie started, it was clear that this was going to be the most unique thing I experienced all week, even at a trade show known for its quirks.
January 6, 2017
Office of the Inspector General: Internal Controls Over Local Purchases and Payments – Gloucester, VA, Post Office: We’ve released a new audit report on internal controls over local purchases and payments at the Gloucester, VA, Post Office. Read it here: http://go.usa.gov/x9ZGu
Postal Service: Electronic Induction (eInduction) Option, [2016-32056] [PDF]Postal Regulatory Commission
PostalNews: Postal inspectors regularly meet with carriers to remind them to be aware of unsafe situations and to report suspicious activities, such as vehicles that follow them or parcels that go missing along their routes.
GERMANY Post&Parcel: DHL Parcel and smart are expanding the coverage of their “smart ready to drop” in-car parcel delivery service in Germany. The idea is that smart drivers can buy goods online and then arrange for them to be delivered by DHL Parcel to the boot of their smart cars. Both the smart driver and the DHL parcel courier use specially designed apps. The vehicle owner uses the smart app to generate a single-use transaction authorization number (TAN) which they enter in the “c/o” box when stating their delivery address for purchases in an online shop. The DHL parcel courier is informed of the preferred delivery location via an app, receiving time-limited access to the recipient’s car.
ROMANIA:RomaniaInsider: Romania’s National Communications Authority (ANCOM) could open the sector of universal postal services to private operators starting 2019. The state-owned Romanian Post currently holds the monopoly on postal services market. With a network of over 1,200 postal units, the Romanian Post is currently the only player that can deliver letters and parcels in all the villages and towns in Romania until the end of 2018. ANCOM launched yesterday in public debate the strategy plan that will regulate the postal services sector between 2017 and 2020. It will analyze, until the end of 2017, if the universal postal service can be provided by other companies except for the Romanian Post.
January 5, 2017
PostComMembers !! The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is now available online. Hey! You've not been getting the weekly PostCom Bulletin--the best postal newsletter anywhere...bar none? Send us by email your name, company, company title, postal and email address. See what you've been missing
U.S. Postal Service
Date/Time: January 6, 2017; 10:30 am – 12:00 noon eastern
Meeting Number: 749 065 001
Teleconference information: Provide your phone number when you join the meeting to receive a call back. Alternatively, you can call: Call-in toll-free number: 1-855-860-7461 (US), Conference Code: 260 841 5474
Date/Time: January 10, 2017; 12:00 noon – 1:30 pm eastern
Meeting Number: 744 605 628
Teleconference information: Provide your phone number when you join the meeting to receive a call back. Alternatively, you can call: Call-in toll-free number: 1-855-860-7461 (US); Conference Code: 260 841 5474
Date/Time: January 18, 2017; 1:00 – 2:00 pm eastern
Meeting Number: 742 572 157
Teleconference information: Provide your phone number when you join the meeting to receive a call back. Alternatively, you can call: Call-in toll-free number: 1-855-860-7461 (US); Conference Code: 260 841 5474
ConsumerReports: Staples is getting out of the post office business, though not willingly. After years of protests by postal workers, the U.S. Postal Service is ending the arrangement under which Staples sold postal services, acting as sort of an auxilary post office. The USPS said in a letter to the APWU that the cancellation will be effective in March 2017. Staples will be removing all signage and will discontinue postal services at the national retailer’s roughly 500 U.S. locations that handle postal services. In exchange, APWU is calling off the boycott of Staples effective immediately.
WSJ: The U.S. Postal Service reported a wider loss for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30 as growth in shipping and package volume boosted revenue but also led to higher spending. USPS has been competing for share in the growing market for package delivery spurred by an increase in e-commerce against shipping giants UPS and Federal Express, which also have been hit by higher costs. Postmaster General and Chief Executive Megan J. Brennan said the USPS spent $1.4 billion in the latest fiscal year for building improvements, vehicles, equipment and other capital projects, an increase of $206 million from the year-earlier period.
IoMPost: It's vital that you differentiate your brand and products from the competition, especially the brand leaders, if you want your mailers to hit the mark. Your killer proposition needs to be strong enough to appeal to new or existing customers, while still being in line with your brand and the products you're promoting. Once you have your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), you need to define not only the benefits it offers to the customer, but also what these mean. You need to convey your USPs in a language and style that suit your company and its brand. Grasp the opportunity presented by each Direct Mail item and use your USPs to your advantage by presenting them in a style that will engage and appeal to your audience.
Geekwire: Amazon has patented a system for delivering goods via a dedicated network. Amazon’s patent application for a dedicated network delivery system, above or below ground, was filed almost three years ago. The patent was finally issued and published a little more than a month ago. The 33-page application lays out the specifications for a network that could transport packages via conveyor belts or rails, or even through pneumatic tubes. There’s no indication that Amazon is actually planning to build such a network anytime soon, but other companies are thinking about it.
CAMBODIA: WebIndia: The state-owned Cambodia Post will launch an online shopping platform in March in a move to tap the current rise in e-commerce activity. Cambodia Post has a nationwide delivery and transport service, so an online shopping platform would be convenient for both sellers and customers.
January 4, 2017
Reuters: Amazon.com Inc shipped 50 percent more items during the past holiday season than the prior year for third-party vendors and doubled the amount for 2016 overall. More sellers are paying the company to store, pack and ship goods through its fulfillment service. Amazon more than doubled the items it delivered for other sellers in 2016 from the year prior to exceed 2 billion. Active sellers using the fulfillment service rose more than 70 percent in the year.
UPU: LexingtonInstitute: Modest Progress with new Postage Rate System - The Congress created a new rate structure governing the shipment of small packages, which will be treated differently than letter mail beginning in 2018. Industrialized countries will be paid a higher-than-inflation rate increase for packages weighing up to 4.4 pounds under the changes. In regards to Public Safety risks - UPU’s new small packages classification would improve the security of incoming international mail, even help deter terrorism by facilitating the future transmission of advance electronic customs data to customs authorities. Lastly, Postal Operators worldwide anticipate service cuts - As traditional letter mail volumes have fallen and consumer buying patterns have shifted, national postal operators have had to rethink their business models and what “universal service” means in the digital era.
NIGERIA: TheGuardian: To aid mobile and financial inclusiveness especially in rural communities, banking services will be added to the operations of the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST), the national postal carrier which delivers mails to businesses and citizens. Financial inclusion is the delivery of financial or monetary services at affordable costs to sections of disadvantaged and low-income segments of society. NIPOST banking and insurance services are at par with countries like South Korea, Singapore and China who provide banking services along their postal services.
INDIA: Hindustantimes: The postal department recently started three international business centres in Bhopal, and a month on, officials has discovered that the parcels sent by residents to their kin abroad more often than not contained food. Apart from food, residents send their kin documents, followed by clothes and gifts.
INDIA: Merinews: While ordinary postal services are exempted from levy of service tax, postal department has to pay service tax on some select premium services like Speed Post (including Speed Post Gold) and Express Parcel Post. Charging service tax from Department of Posts that too only on some select postal services by the Department of Revenue is like transferring money from one pocket to other of the central government resulting in unnecessary paper work and procedural aspects involving huge man-hours. The Union finance ministry should abolish service-tax even from premium services like Speed Post (including Speed Post Gold) and Express Parcel Post. Also it is time to popularise Speed Post service over private courier-service by having uniform Speed Post tariff for both local and non-local service.
January 3, 2017
Office of the Inspector General: Top 10 Postal Stories of 2016:There was no shortage of postal news in 2016, from the price rollback on market-dominant products to the political showdown over the Board of Governors. We put together a top 10 list of postal stories, in reverse importance, on our blog. Tell us what you think is the top story of the year at here.
USPS Industry Alert: Denver, CO MPA Redirection. The Denver Mail Processing Annex (MPA) (NASS 800pf) located at 20101 E 36th Drive, Aurora, CO 80011, will cease operations as of midnight, Friday, January 6, 2017. Beginning Saturday, January 7th, all Flats Mail (i.e., Periodicals, Standard, Package Services) will be redirected and dropped at the Denver P&DC (NASS 800) located just 10.2 miles away at 7540 E 53rd Place, Denver, CO 80266. The Denver P&DC will accept mail originally destined for the Denver MPA. If you have any questions, please contact the FAST Helpdesk at FAST@usps.gov or call on 1-877-569-6614.
Postal Reporter: USPS has expanded its Surface Visibility (SV) program to an additional 114 sites, bringing the total number to 437 across the nation. The program is part of the Postal Service’s broader efforts to better use technology and promote the SV application, which improves scanning and makes it easier for business customers to know the whereabouts of their mail and packages. To further close visibility gaps, USPS also has expanded SV scanning capability to 65 peak annexes and five contracted sites, providing these locations with more flexible technology that uses the cellular network.
SINGAPORE: Channel News Asia: As part of efforts to encourage people to send greeting cards during Singapore's four major festivals, SingPost is lowering postage rates in the lead up to Chinese New Year. In a media release on Tuesday (Jan 3), the postal service provider said the festive rates apply to stamped and franked greeting cards posted between Jan 7 and Jan 29, 2017. It will cost S$0.70 to send greeting cards - weighing up to 40 grams - to anywhere in the world, allowing customers to save up to S$0.65.
MALAYSIA: New Straits Times: POS Malaysia Bhd is willing to sell a stake in courier unit Pos Laju, its jewel in the crown, if the price is right. Pos Malaysia group chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Shukrie Mohd Salleh said unlike most national postal companies in other countries, Pos Laju was the market leader and commanded 40 per cent of the Malaysian courier market. “Pos Laju is the jewel in the crown. This year, courier revenue is set to overtake that of traditional postal services,” he said in an interview recently. Shukrie said Pos Malaysia was open to strategic partnerships.
January 2, 2017
ABC news: Federal regulators have fined UPS $73,800 for safety violations at the company's airplane hangar in Louisville. The Courier-Journal (http://cjky.it/2ivul8E ) reports the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company in October after the violations were found during an inspection. One involved an open-sided platform without proper safety railings. The other violation was related to workplace sanitation conditions. UPS spokesman Mike Mangeot says in a statement that the company addressed the concerns immediately after they occurred.
ecommercebytes: The start of 2017 marks the beginning of what promises to be another busy year for the Postal Service. Throughout the year, the organization will continue its focus on its four core business strategies: delivering world-class customer experiences; engaging, equipping and empowering employees; innovating; and investing in the future.
Ireland: Herald.ie: There has been a massive increase in the amount of drugs being seized in the country's postal system over the last three years by customs officers. Exclusive figures obtained by the Herald show that up until November 7 more than €1.5m of drugs were intercepted in An Post offices nationwide during the first 10 months of 2016.
Ireland: Irish Examiner: The Minister for the Environment, John Boland, recommended in September 1986 that draft legislation to introduce postal voting on health and occupations grounds should not be proceeded with. Mr Boland told other ministers he had grave reservation about the measure as there had been was serious organised abuse in a number of areas during the previous year’s local elections. He claimed the worst reported incident occurred in Donegal where only 635 out of 3,325 applications for a postal vote were accepted. Mr Boland said the abuse took place at every stage of the process, despite various in-built safeguards to make postal voting as secure as possible. Applicants’ signatures, medical certificates and signature of peace commissioners were forged, said Mr Boland.
January 1, 2017


text:
How do you prove your worth as a company? Well, one way is by closing 2013 with over four times growth in revenue. GutCheck, based in downtown Denver, leads the on-demand research community platform and has announced that it has secured an unsolicited $4 million in new investment from Silicon Valley-based Icon Venture Partners and existing investors.
Combined with a Series B $4 million from June, this brings GutCheck's total to $8 million in financing. This has allowed GutCheck to triple its staff and expand globally. CEO Matt Warta said in a press release, “It’s been an amazing year for us capped by the addition of this $4 million investment." GutCheck will use the cash infusion to continue aggressive sales, marketing and product development expansion to meet customer demand.
Icon Venture Partners veteran investors Charles Beeler and Jeff Hinck know what to look for in enterprise technology companies.
“GutCheck is exactly the type of company we see profiting from the continued trend among corporations to do more with less,” said Jeff Hinck, General Partner of Icon Venture Partners. “GutCheck’s cloud-based market research solution is being embraced by many of the most successful and well-known consumer brands because it’s turning consumer insights research on its head with an agile approach to an old-school industry.”
But, perhaps it’s all in the name at the end of the day. GutCheck is added to the list of funded Icon Venture companies, among startups such as Bugcrowd and Appboy.


text:
GHANA – Zeepay, a Mobile Financial Services financial technology (fintech) company, has announced its partnership with Transfast, a Mastercard company and a leading cross-border payments service provider.
This partnership will enable consumers around the world to send money directly to more than 20 million mobile money wallets in Ghana with speed, security, and certainty.
“The partnership with Zeepay makes it easier for our consumers to send money to their families and friends in Ghana. This is an important step that will drive financial inclusion across the country – as consumers can now securely and conveniently receive remittances, directly to their mobile money wallet,” said Samir Vidhate, SVP MD at Transfast.
“This latest development will further enhance the network of Transfast in Africa. We’re excited to extend our service to Zeepay, a partner that shares our commitment to compliance with local regulations to ensure people can send money safely.”
“Together with Transfast, we are building the future ecosystem of digital payments in Ghana and are delighted to welcome Transfast to our omni channel-wallet payout network in Ghana and greater parts of Africa.”Andrew Takyi-Appiah – Managing Director, Zeepay
This strategic collaboration gives Transfast access to Ghana as well as over 20 other countries across Africa such as Nigeria, Guinea Conakry, Mozambique, Ivory Coast, Uganda, and Rwanda. Funds can be sent via any of Transfast’s physical partner locations.
“Together with Transfast, we are building the future ecosystem of digital payments in Ghana and are delighted to welcome Transfast to our omni channel-wallet payout network in Ghana and greater parts of Africa,” said Andrew Takyi-Appiah, Managing Director at Zeepay.
Transfast processes remittances through its proprietary direct-to-bank network and offers nearly 300,000 cash payout points, as well as bank account and mobile wallet transfers in 100+ markets and growing.
“It’s safe as both the sender and receiver are registered and can be traced, hence limiting the propensity of fraud and money laundering. Transfer of remittance across digital channels is the most secured and fraud-free way of transmitting money across borders in today’s rapidly-growing technology world,” Dede Quarshie, Chief Commercial Officer, Zeepay, said.
Zeepay recently partnered with Enterprise Life to provide beneficiary insurance, known as Zeemicro, to remittance senders from the diaspora.
Under Zeemicro, the more than 500,000 Ghanaians in the United Kingdom can now purchase insurance cover for their beneficiaries when sending money home.
Remittance receivers on the policy will benefit from the following: natural death, accident, partial disablement, critical illness and hospital cash income benefit.
Zeepay is the fastest growing fintech in mobile financial services across Africa with operations in Ghana and United Kingdom and terminating to 20 countries across Africa and with termination agreements in over 90 jurisdictions globally.
Liked this article? Subscribe to DealStreet Africa News, our regular email newsletter with the latest news, deals and insights from Africa’s business, economy and more. SUBSCRIBE


text:
Panasonic manufacturer, Matsushita Electric Industrial, has announced plans to launch 37-inch Panasonic LCD HDTVs in Japan in September.
The company has previously produced only Plasma HDTVs in the 37-inch or larger range, although it does produce LCD sets in smaller sizes.
The move is in response to the growing popularity of LCD flat-screens over Plasma. Recent research from DisplaySearch reported a 54 percent increase in global LCD TV sales in the first quarter of 2007, while Plasma sales fell nine percent.
Plasma TVs once dominated the large-screen flat-TV market, providing a more natural picture at a lower price. They have been overtake by LCD screens as manufacturers developed larger and more efficient production lines able to produce LCD TVs at lower prices.
Despite this trend Matsushita emphasises that it has not changed its overall strategy and still plans to focus on Plasma in the larger-screen category.
Matsushita’s 37-inch full high-definition LCD TV will cost $2,508. Its launch in Japan will be followed with a release in overseas markets by the end of the year.


text:
San Francisco, CA – City leaders today announced that the 2023 holiday shopping season saw the lowest levels of reported theft in San Francisco in years and an increase in visitors to major Downtown destinations, including in Union Square.
Local law enforcement has been conducting ongoing strategic operations to disrupt car break-ins and retail theft citywide, and to heighten safety efforts in shopping areas during the holidays. These efforts have coincided alongside coordinated efforts with the state and federal government to disrupt and shut down drug markets.
Between November 20, 2023, and January 1, 2024, compared to the same time period the year before, San Francisco saw a:
48% reduction in larceny theft (includes retail theft and auto break-ins)
17% reduction in motor vehicle theft
26% reduction in burglaries
These reductions in crimes were paired with increases to people returning to shop and visit in Union Square and Downtown areas. Holiday activations, reliable transit, and safe parking options helped to create an atmosphere to support San Francisco during the holiday season.
From November 20 through the end of December 2023, San Francisco saw increases into major retail areas like Union Square and Downtown compared to the same time last year, with:
58% increase in weekday transit riders exiting Powell and Union Square/Market Street Muni Rail stations
54% increase in weekend transit riders exiting Powell and Union Square/Market Street Muni Rail stations
An 11% increase in unique daily visitors to Union Square Park
Over the course of the 10-day Winter Walk activation alone, the Union Square Alliance estimates a generated financial boost in the tens of millions of dollars. As the holiday season concludes, the Union Square and Downtown areas are planning for more activity, including welcoming back the 42nd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in Union Square, which begins January 8 and runs through January 11, 2024.
“The holidays in San Francisco are a magical time, and I’m proud of the work we are doing to make our City safer and more welcoming for everyone,” said Mayor London Breed. “We have invested in public safety – including deploying officers and community ambassadors – and we have invested in making our City more active and vibrant. As we move into 2024, we will continue to focus on doing the hard work to lift up San Francisco, to prevent and deter crime when we can, and to respond quickly with clear accountability when people do break the law.”
“The San Francisco Police Department will continue to enforce the law and protect our residents, businesses and visitors,” said Police Chief Bill Scott. “I’m encouraged by the success we’ve had in reducing retail crime during the holiday season, but this is just a start. We are expanding our efforts as we hire more officers and find ways to better use technology to ensure San Francisco is a safe place for everybody.”
“The results are clear. When city leaders coordinate to identify, arrest, and prosecute those who attempt to wreak havoc on our businesses, residents, and visitors, we create a safer city for all,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “I am grateful for the additional investments made by our local and state partners towards public safety, and as we move into 2024, my office will continue to send a strong message that all crime is illegal in San Francisco.”
The reductions in larceny theft reached lows not seen in the last five years, including during the pandemic.


text:
- March 01, 2019
Microsoft is adding mixed reality capabilities for sales departments and for customer service, extending the features beyond their HoloLens headset and onto smartphones.
- February 20, 2019
As it evolves, Salesforce's Einstein AI serves the needs of a growing number of organizations and takes the guesswork out of why certain decisions are made.
- February 11, 2019
By combining Verint and ForeSee, users can capture customer interactions through SMS and customer surveys, as well as through online traffic and digital channels.
- January 28, 2019
Adobe is upgrading its e-commerce product by adding AI-fueled image-search capabilities and progressive web application building tools to Magento Commerce Cloud.
- January 18, 2019
Telecom giant Verizon is boosting its software business with an AI-based CX system for contact centers, with tools for virtual and live agents, authoring and social engagement.
- January 15, 2019
Consumers are providing retailers with more data than ever before, with expectations that they will receive a personalized experience. But that can be challenging for retailers.
- January 14, 2019
Salesforce Commerce Cloud mobile-centric, consumer-focused upgrade unveiled at NRF 2019 conference, including Einstein Visual Search and Einstein Recommendations.
- January 07, 2019
High Velocity Sales includes Salesforce tools, such as Einstein Lead Scoring, Lightning Email, Sales Cadences and Work Queues, with more features expected in later 2019 releases.
- January 07, 2019
HubSpot remembers the financial backing it received as a new company and creates its own $30 million venture fund to invest in startups that align with the HubSpot mission.
- January 04, 2019
- December 24, 2018
Acquisitions and new products marked a busy 2018, with vendors like Salesforce, Adobe and SAP making splashy acquisitions while refocusing on customer experience.
- December 20, 2018
As the world pivots from CRM to customer experience management, Salesforce makes its own moves with research showing millennials value CX over the actual goods or services received.
- December 17, 2018
Again, 2018 showed how important acquisitions are to Salesforce's growth and expansion into markets such as AI, e-commerce, integration and collaboration.
- November 29, 2018
With many successes and failures, companies create their own AI apps with the use of Einstein Discovery. Users discuss their experiences along the way.
- November 19, 2018
Zendesk moves on from focusing solely on customer service by adding analytics, sales force automation and CRM capabilities, while also providing third-party integrations on AWS.


text:
Today, a new report from the Wall Street Journal has been released that is suggesting that HTC will unveil it's 5.9-inch HTC One MAX phablet on October 15th. The report also seems to confirm that the extra large smartphone will contain a fingerprint scanner which will be located on the back of the device, just below the camera lens.
If other recent reports are correct then the HTC One MAX will take the throne as king of the phablets with a full HD 1080p display, a quad-core 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and as much as 3GB of RAM. A 3,300 MAH battery will also be present. Unfortunately other rumors are suggesting that the device will feature a combo aluminum and plastic housing similar to the HTC One Mini.