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In a report by Variety, both titles are on track to lose US$100 million each. The Indiana Jones and Mission: Impossible sequels each cost US$300 million to make and spent US$100 million on marketing, making them the most expensive movies of all time. So far, Indiana Jones 5 has only grossed US$375 million globally, while Mission: Impossible 7 has grossed US$523 million globally.
Although these are relatively big amounts, the profits barely break even given the big production costs. Thankfully, both movies have yet to end their theatrical run so they will continue to make money, but whether it brings the profit Disney and Paramount expect is another story.
Disney CEO Bob Iger has weighed in on the issue and said that the company is trying to spend less money on a movie’s production. Iger also suggests that Indiana Jones 5 brings other forms of revenue for the company as making the sequel led to a surge of interest in previous Indiana Jones movies on Disney+.
“There’s an opportunity to make money back with streaming and other sales, but that’s long into the future. It’s playing the long game instead of the short game,” says Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations. “They don’t want to be profitable in 25 years.”
As for Mission: Impossible 7, sources claim that the movie will have to hit US$600 million at the global box office in order to break even.
Between the strikes and blockbusters flopping at the box office, it truly has been a tough year for writers, actors and the overall film industry. Thus far, the movies leading at the 2023 box office are The Super Mario Bros Movie (US$1.3 billion), Barbie (US$1 billion), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (US$845 million), Fast X (US$704 million) and Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse (US$600 million).


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Dell Inc.'s proposed $67 billion takeover of EMC Corp. is...
Twitter users were in an uproar this weekend when rumors...
Rackspace Inc. has teamed up with Linux vendor Red Hat...
Online dating can sometimes be a frustrating affair, negotiating profiles...
Digital currencies have a strong potential to be a disruptive technology in a sector that’s seen very little change in many, many years. In October of last year, the European Central Bank published a report about digital currencies that mentioned Bitcoin 183 times while commenting on the impact of digital currencies on the current state of finances and since then the bitcoin market has seen a notable increase in its own stability and reach. For an excellent examination of the ECB report back in October, look to the BitInstant blog. What caught our attention today, however, is Bloomberg’s attention on the subject... more »
How quickly and easily you coordinate projects and teams? How to manage daily tasks while reducing the use of email and endless meetings? Companies give a lot to tools for employees for projects work. But employee spends time on other tools like notepad, personal messaging. And in the end, too many emails, too many meetings, too much information that drown teams resulting in loss of time and poorly organized tasks. A recent survey conducted by Serena Software has revealed that lack of communication with customers, operations and other development teams is the biggest threat to agile success. Finally, along comes AgileZen--an easy... more »
BlackBerry unveiled two devices at yesterday’s event, the Z10 and the Q10. Though the devices look promising, BlackBerry fans in the US will have to wait over a month to see the new handsets. The company has been lambasted in the past for delaying the release of its new platform and new devices, but the bitterness didn’t seem to affect BlackBerry even as it once again delays availability of the devices. UK fans are the first to get their hands on the Z10 starting today, followed by Canada on Feb. 5, then UAE on Feb. 10, and lastly the US in... more »
While most industries will feel the impact of Big Data analytics in the next few years, the electric utilities are already in the throws of the Big Data revolution, writes Wikibon Big Data Analyst Jeff Kelly in his latest Professional Alert, “Big Data in the Utilities Industry”. The key technology in this case is the “smart meter”, a.k.a. advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), that sends energy usage readings wirelessly from each meter back to the utility every 15 minutes. Instead of the 12 readings a year of manual systems, this generates 12 readings every 15 minutes, or 35,040 readings per meter... more »
An infographic is a cool way to impart knowledge, especially if you’re dealing with a lot of boring facts, huge numbers, and incomprehensible data. They’re colorful and fun that’s why there’s a lot of them floating around the web from infographics about Batman, obesity, geeks, marriage, dating, and yes, even about infographics. But aren’t those hard to make? And you need to be really creative and good with designs to be able to make one, right? Piktochart says no. Magic Piktochart Yep, the name sounds like something that would come out of a Poké Ball but it’s the new app from Piktochart that... more »
Cloud integration startup MuleSoft is flaunting its new API repository with an infographic published just in time for the Super Bowl. The chart lists 10 services that developers can tap into in order to monetize consumer trends during and after the big game. The first API is from Food2u, a hot meal delivery service that is gearing up for a big surge in orders from hungry football fans. Right below it is the HootSuite What the trend API, a RESTful service that offers access to RSS feeds and statistics about trending topics in specific geographic areas. The third and fourth places on... more »
Hackers backed by China’s military are believed to have carried out repeated attacks on the New York Time’s cyber infrastructure, according to new claims by the newspaper. It believes that the attacks began around four months ago, and are likely to be retaliation for an expose it ran on the vast wealth accumulated by previous leader Wen Jiabao and his family. The New York Times says that the hackers have stolen the corporate passwords of every single one of its employees, while the personal devices of 53 of its employees were also hacked. It says that it stumbled upon the infiltration... more »
As we settle into 2013 we’re now in a space where the computing market is growing with ultrabooks, tablets and other chip-powered gadgets. Although Intel is still the undisputed king of the high end chip markets, it's become unavoidably evident that lower cost, ARM-based processors are dominating mobile devices like tablets and smartphones. As PCs lose out to the tablet era, Intel finds itself face-to-face with the necessity of adapting to a new market. Semiconductor giant Intel delivered improved fourth quarter results earlier this month, reporting revenue of $53.3 billion for 2012, down 1.2 percent compared with 2011, and posted net... more »
In today’s mobile news roundup: BlackBerry appoints Alicia Keys as global creative director; Microsoft to launch Surface Pro on Feb.9; Nokia HERE will be integrated in Toyota’s mapping services; Vertu to create a $10K Android phone; and Tumblr adds mature label to iOS app. BlackBerry appoints Alicia Keys as global creative director BlackBerry, the company formerly known as Research in Motion, had a few surprises at yesterday’s BlackBerry 10 event. Aside from the name change, and the long wait for the Z10 and Q10 to be commercially available, the company stunned the tech world when it announced that singer/songwriter/actress Alicia Keys is... more »
We’ve all heard talk of how the post-PC era is supposedly looming on the horizon, but perhaps it would be wiser to ignore the proclamations of those who insist that the roof is about to cave in. Despite Apple’s Tim Cook insisting that people would “rather play on his iPad than their old PCs”, Lenovo has gone from strength to strength, proving that there’s plenty of life left in the old workhorses yet, so long as you know how to market them – something that the Chinese firm positively excels at. Lenovo’s latest fiscal quarter results have smashed all expectations, with... more »

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The IIT 2014 Global Conference, an annual meeting of IIT alumni worldwide, is scheduled to be held here from December 19 to December 21.
Led by alumni of IITs and IIMs took Modi's campaign to new heights evoking comparisons to back room that helped send Obama to White House in '08.
Flipkart's top brass, who are alumni of global business schools, have started talks with their alma mater on hiring interns and graduates.
"IIM -B needs more diversity in student body, stronger global focus, greater impact on society and stronger alumni engagement."
Irani's list is a mix of progressive initiatives, the Sangh Parivar's ideas on education and the Gujarat model on teachers' training.
Miles Software Solutions has acquired Mumbai-based startup Beans & Intellect Financial Technology to enhance its wealth and asset management solutions.
Myntra has followed the private label strategy for almost two years and has about 10 such brands that account for about 20% of its sales.
The firm has added a feature where specific discounts are tagged to products depending on the lists made by the consumer.


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Most brands in Nigeria will require bailout to remain in business as the marketing industry was overwhelmed with promos, the Marketing Service Director, Nestle Nigeria, Mrs Iquo Ukoh, has said.
Looking at activities in the industry last year, she said most marketers were at a loss on what to do to get the consumer’s attention as many promos failed to deliver the desired return on investment (RoI).
“We all were at a loss on what to do to get the consumer’s attention. Many promotions did not deliver desired return on investment but we kept on shouting anyway in the hope that at least our nuisance value would get some attention. Unlikely brands partnered, goat, rams, cows, rice, free airtime were all used as incentives for consumers to buy. Buy one get one or two free also had their spotlight in this frenzy,” she said.
As a result, Ukoh saw many brand equity sliding last year but she said many will most likely require a lot of investment in future to recover.
“In all of this, I saw many brand equity start to slide and many will most likely require a lot of investment in future to recover,” she said.
She noted that with the understanding that oil prices in the international market are not likely to go up in the short term, government spending will not rise significantly.
“Many state governments in Nigeria have had to be bailed out on workers’ salaries. Many state governments cannot pay the minimum wage. At the end of last year, many organisations had quietly laid off workers,” she observed.
She also noted that products with imported content will jerk up prices hence impacting on volume growth negatively.
She said: “For products with high imported content, price increases will be inevitable, as the volume growth may not be realised so value growth will be the option. This means price increases and further shrinkage in consumer base and consumer patronage.”


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VICTON gets official slogan for 4th mini album!
It’s only been a few days since VICTON announced their first official lightstick. Now they’ve also launched their official slogan for their 4th mini album! Looks like Alice is getting spoilt by the boys.
— VICTON(빅톤) (@VICTON1109) November 13, 2017
It’ll be on sale from their official site as well as online K-pop shops. These shops also ship internationally, so international fans, now’s your chance!
The VICTON boys have recently celebrated their first year anniversary. With that, they’ve also made a comeback with the track ‘Remember me‘. If you haven’t seen the MV yet, check it out below!
Follow Officially Kmusic for the hottest Kpop updates!
Written by Jessica
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Demand for local products is one of the most influential trends in the food industry right now. It helped propel the growth of farmers' markets, and lately it's been reshaping supermarket aisles throughout the nation.
So what's next? The answer appears to be “locally sourced” stores, which have started popping up across the country. Dedicated primarily to offering local products, these locations and the success they're enjoying so far are perhaps the strongest testimony yet to the power of local.
One example is Urban Rustic, located in the trendy Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, N.Y. Open since December, the 2,600-square-foot space is part grocery store, part cafe. In addition to tall wooden shelves stacked with local goods, there's an elevated dining area, a juice-and-coffee bar as well as a salad bar. Most of the food comes from within a 100-mile radius of the store.
Dan Cipriani, co-owner of this hybrid retail outlet, said he and his team research every product to make sure it meets the standards of authenticity his customers demand.
“What we're trying to do that's different from other places is do the background checks, make the calls and check everything out to find out who they are and how they do it,” he said. “We're not just blindly going with the mega-organics in California just to have full shelves.”
Another small-format retailer that makes a point of selling local products is Green Grocer Chicago, located in the city's West Town neighborhood. Offerings there include Zota Soda, Tomato Mountain Farm salsas, Bennison's Bakery bread and other items sourced from the Midwest.
Not all of these local-focused stores are neighborhood boutiques. At 40,000 square feet in size, Napa, Calif.'s Oxbow Public Market is more indoor food bazaar than store, home to 35 local merchants — everything from The Fatted Calf charcuterie and butcher shop to Three Twins Organic Ice Cream. Company President Steve Carlin describes it as a sensory experience, more akin to a European street market than a conventional retailer.
“You're not going to take a first date to the supermarket,” said Carlin. “But you'll certainly take her to the public market, because at the public market it's all integrated. It's a living experience.”


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Brewing companies are showing signs they might increase beer prices, but that might have negative effects for the industry.» Read More
Twenty years after it launched, the time is right for Blue Moon Brewing to put its own spin on an IPA beer.
YANGON, July 13- International brewers are trickling into Myanmar, betting that higher incomes and economic reforms will whip up a thirst for foreign beer in a market that has long been dominated by state-owned firms. Myanmar's beer industry is dominated by state-backed Myanmar Brewery, and beer consumption rates are some of the lowest in Asia at just 3.2...
Fourth of July is the height of the beer-drinking season. Here are six beer suggestions for your barbecue.
Chicago-area craft brewer, 5 Rabbit Brewer is the latest business to tell Donald Trump he's fired.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is putting a little more German influence into its seasonal Oktoberfest brew.
A year after opening a second brewery in Chicago, the head of Lagunitas Brewing revealed he plans to open a third brewery in Southern California.
College buddies quit their corporate gigs to build a business out of beer.
Forget the tie that dad likely doesn't need. Take the opportunity to get him something he can really enjoy: a quality brew.
In the spirit of a rising tide lifts all boats, several New York brewers have joined together to create the state's first official beer.
In an era when many beer drinkers are looking for the newest brew, Michelob Ultra's strong growth has been a surprise.
A recent study took a look at which beer brands do the best job of engaging their followers on the social media platform.
Often ignored in craft beer circles, lager is starting to get a little love from craft breweries.
SABMiller is buying the Meantime Brewing Company. CNBC's Kate Rogers reports.
May 7- MillerCoors LLC, the U.S. operations of brewers Molson Coors Brewing Co and SABMiller Plc, reported a 1 percent fall in quarterly net sales, hurt by lower demand for its Coors Light beer and some of its more expensive beer brands. Net income attributable to the company rose to $304.6 million in the first quarter ended March 31 from $291.2 million a year earlier.
Anheuser-Busch InBev increased profit by more than expected as it lifted prices and sold more premium lagers in Brazil and China.
BRUSSELS, May 6- Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer, increased first quarter profit by more than expected as it lifted prices and sold more premium lagers in Brazil and China, making up for sharply lower U.S. shipments. Volumes of Budweiser, which are now greater outside than inside the United States, rose by 6.2 percent, with particularly strong...
Fireman’s Brew is hoping a private stock offering can help keep it on a steady growth path as it looks to grow in a hot market.
David Casinelli, Yuengling COO, discusses the business of brewing and the growing competition among craft beer makers.
After two weeks and thousands of votes, Newburgh Brewing Co.'s Cream Ale beer label was crowned the winner.
After narrowing the field from 16 entrants in each region, CNBC's Most Loved Label contest is down to two.


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A new software program, RemoveLikes™, is being marketed to Internet consultants and businesses eager to improve their standing with search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. Developed by Jacob Malherbe, the software allows owners of Facebook accounts to delete unwanted “likes” from their business or fan pages.
The number and quality of visitors interacting with Facebook pages is used by major search engines in determining that page’s resource value. It’s also used by Facebook’s edge rank to determine how wide a distribution posted information receives.
“But when too many ‘likes’ originate in foreign countries associated with questionable Internet practices it can negatively affect the standing of that Facebook page in search results,” says Malherbe. “Until now there has been no ready way to prevent this from happening.”
He notes that a key reason why many Facebook pages seem to become less “visible” to search engines is that a thriving market in fake “likes” has resulted in search engine algorithms which punish pages suspected of engaging in this ploy.
“So monitoring potentially harmful ‘likes’ has become increasingly important even to commercial webmasters playing by the rules,” he says.
His company’s software identifies problem “likes” and allows clients to effectively remove them, says Malherbe. He points to over a quarter million such edits RemoveLikes™ accomplished in its earlier beta versions.
“Word of mouth has already resulted in substantial sales of our software even before RemoveLikes™ was finalized for the marketplace,” he adds. “There is a valid desire to protect social media marketing assets, and we now offer entrepreneurs an effective and easy to use tool for doing this.”
Malherbe is also a regular contributor to Internet forums on social media marketing.
For more information on RemoveLikes™ or to purchase the software visit online at https://www.removelikes.com.
Company Name: The Climb Inc.
Contact Person: Jacob Malherbe
Country: United States


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The BLS released September Producer Price Index numbers this morning. PPI has been gradually accelerating since late 2015/early 2016, but recent months saw PPI begin to slow by its headline measure. The headline PPI decelerated again last month down to 2.73% YoY from 2.83% the month before. This continues a trend over the past few months of the headline measure surprising lower. Meanwhile, Core PPI which removes food and energy accelerated slightly to 2.48% YoY from 2.4%. A more refined measure of PPI excluding foods, energy, and trade services increased the most, up 3.02% YoY compared to 2.84% in August. This is the first time this measure of core PPI has been higher than the headline number since June 2017. While the headline data may confirm multiple recent Fed members claiming to not see any striking issues concerning inflation on the horizon, the core measures indicates pretty broad price pressures after removing volatile components (food, energy) and margins for retail and wholesale operators.
We also like to look at the PPI index for Select Health Care Industries, which the BEA uses as a direct input for PCE Health Care. As shown below, the PPI measure shows that health care inflation continues to run at a reasonably strong clip and about in-line with core inflation.


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Available exclusively on PC when it released in 2019, the very retro Metroidvania had already gotten a Switch release in 2021. Now here it is on PS4.
Red Art Games’ retro game, Cathedral, will soon also arrive on PlayStation 4, three years after its original release on PC. Inspired by old-school platform games, this resolutely NES-style Metroidvania will arrive in physical version on Western consoles from next April 7.
It will be found on the publisher’s online store from April 7 at 5 p.m. for €24.99, with 1,500 copies on sale. Each purchase is delivered in a cardboard sleeve and is accompanied by a poster. The digital version of the game is expected on April 12.
In Cathedral, players take on the role of an unnamed protagonist who wakes up in an alien world and can’t remember how he got there. In order to find out what’s going on and find a way back home, the hero must team up with a spirit by the name of Soul. However, his quest is far from a walk in the park since he must cross a vast world filled with more than 600 rooms to visit and populated by powerful enemies and bosses to defeat. Inspired by 8-bit games, Cathedral is a Metroidvania with graphics created using the NES color scheme and soundtrack composed in FamiTracker.
For the record, the game was also released last year on Switch.


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14 Nov 2018
The government is urging small businesses to make use of so-called 'broadband vouchers', which are worth £2,500.
13 Nov 2018
The Treasury Committee has launched a new inquiry into whether UK banks are doing enough to help vulnerable customers.
12 Nov 2018
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has warned that UK economic growth is being 'restricted' by limited access to alternative finance options for small businesses.
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14 Nov - Government urges small businesses to utilise broadband vouchers


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On Dec 30, 2013, Cummins Inc. (CMI) reached a new 52-week high of $140.49. The surge in stock price was driven by strength in the fundamentals of the company.
Cummins posted net earnings of $362 million or $1.94 per share (excluding special items) in the third quarter of 2013, lagging the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.10 a share. However, the earnings were higher than $336 million or $1.78 per share reported in the year-ago quarter.
Revenues in the quarter rose nearly 4% year over year to $4.3 billion, mainly driven by strong demand in North America. Revenues were in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
Cummins is positioned to benefit from its innovative products. The company steadily launches new engines to meet the global market demands and emission standards, and offers enhanced fuel efficiency.
Moreover, Cummins has the potential to benefit from higher use of its engines by a number of original equipment manufacturers (:OEM), including Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (NSANY) and Navistar International Corporation (NAV). Cummins’ 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel engine will be featuring in Nissan’s next-generation full-size Titan pickup truck and Scania will be using Cummins’ ISB engine in bus applications in Europe. Moreover, Cummins’ engine was featured in the constellation truck of MAN and Ford Motor Co.’s (F) vehicle in the Brazilian truck show in Fenatran.
Although in 2013 Cummins expects revenues to decline 3% from the 2012 level, it anticipates revenues in the range of $25–$31 billion by 2018. The company also projects earnings before interest and taxes (:EBIT) in the range of 16%–18% by 2018, compared with 12.5%–13% projected in 2013.
Currently Cummins carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).


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The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned several YouTube adverts for Oreos following a BBC Newsround investigation, ruling that their commercial nature was not immediately clear to viewers.
Special edition: Cutting calories in confectionery
Yildiz Holding's acquisition of UK United Biscuits makes it the world's third largest biscuit player, but now it will have to work hard to find its 'power brand' answer to Mondelēz's Oreos, according to a Mintel analyst.
Confectionery giants Mondelēz International, Nestlé and Mars must do far more to ensure women are not blocked from day-to-day commercial cocoa operations because of issues like land rights, according to a report commissioned by Oxfam.
DuPont’s nutrition & health division will play a big part in the launch of 4000 food-related products in the next six years, its chief said as the company celebrated 50 years at its Brabrand base in Aarhus, Denmark yesterday.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has reassessed exposure to curcumin and found consumption is lower than previously thought – although some children consume close to the acceptable daily intake (ADI).
The ingredient list and a lack of additives or ‘artificial’ ingredients are the most important considerations for consumers when making a food purchase after price, says a new report on clean label in Europe.
New research led by Du Pont Industrial Biosciences concludes that enzyme technology currently used with maize and wheat could be applied far more widely to cassava root starch to produce sweeteners such as glucose, fructose and maltose.
Brand licensing in the food industry has becoming increasingly dynamic over the past few years, with the Western European market for co-branded food and beverage products on the rise, according to an expert in the area.


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Trading Standards rose to the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic
Trading standards services made an estimated 1.3 million COVID-19 secure and business compliance checks across the United Kingdom, according to an infographic released today by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). The infographic highlights some of the key work undertaken by trading standards services since the COVID-19 lockdown began in March 2020. The infographic includes figures representing the collective effort by all local authority services across the four UK nations in responding to key challenges faced by consumers, business and local authorities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The infographic shows that, whilst facing unprecedented challenges, trading standards services confronted the pandemic, demonstrating their resilience and adaptability. Work ranged from COVID-19 restrictions inspections at business premises, safety and conformity checks on vital products such as Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and hand sanitiser, to spreading awareness among the public about their consumer rights and COVID-19 themed scam campaigns.
In England, trading standards conducted an estimated 220,000 COVID-19 secure and business closure compliance visits or checks among a wide range of examples. Of these visits or checks, 35,545 non-compliant businesses were identified. Northern Ireland saw the distribution of 45,000 NTS 'Wash your hands of Coronavirus Scams' leaflets via food parcels in partnership with District Councils, large supermarkets and charities, while in Wales, 52,721 business premises receiving proactive advice on COVID-19 safety compliance. In Scotland, 66,588 COVID-19 secure and business closure compliance visits or checks were carried out, with 12,898 non-compliant businesses identified. The infographic lists a range of facts and figures about what actions trading standards services during this time, in collaboration with their local authority colleagues, including case studies.
CTSI Chief Executive, John Herriman, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for the public at large. Beyond the clear impact upon health and welfare, the pandemic has made everyone far more vulnerable, giving rise to unscrupulous practices aiming to profit from this. Whether it's investigating businesses for COVID-19 safety non-compliance or educating the public on how to avoid scams, trading standards staff have been carrying out crucial work to protect the public from these challenges. Trading standards services have also been helping business to comply with the new COVID-19 rules and regulations, supporting their local community through redeployment and protecting key workers by checking their PPE is safe.
"We all owe a debt of gratitude to trading standards professionals across the UK for their selfless work protecting consumers, and this latest data proves the impact they have had. They are some of the unsung heroes of the pandemic and have played a fundamental role in protecting the public and often the most vulnerable in society, in unprecedented times.
"The fact that they have achieved this after nearly a decade of cuts leading to a reduction of nearly 50% in local authority trading standards services across the country makes their achievements even more remarkable. With the long tail of social and economic consequences of COVID-19 and the new trading opportunities afforded by Brexit, the challenge is to ensure that trading standards departments are sufficiently resourced to support both. We can see from the infographic how trading standards is key in helping build consumer confidence, and CTSI intends to work to support and sustain the provision to deliver effective trading standards, which play a key role in a thriving UK economy.
"CTSI is the voice of trading standards professionals, and we will be raising awareness of their crucial work protecting consumers and supporting business and the UK economy as a whole as we approach our annual Symposium this September in Birmingham."
Editor's note: The infographic and a full list of case studies may be found at this link.
Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)
CTSI is a training and membership organisation that has represented the interests of the Trading Standards profession since 1881 nationally and internationally. We aim to raise the profile of the profession while working towards fairer, better informed and safer consumer and business communities. CTSI's members are engaged in delivering frontline trading standards services in local authorities and in businesses. www.tradingstandards.uk


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Sheer madness, a latex leotard and a busy blazer -- stars are rocking all the wrong trends this week!
Cara Delevingne raised some eyebrows at the 2014 GQ Men of the Year Awards on Tuesday, sporting a black Burberry sheer lace dress with a rather unusual mouth accessory. Is it a lip necklace, a mouth earring or a cocktail stick!?
The delicate material on the designer "dress" is pretty, but this look belongs in the bedroom, not on the red carpet.
Kim Kardashian shocked us all at the GQ event, when she showed up in a tacky Atsuko Kudo bustier-style latex bodysuit. She opted to show off some major cleavage (of course), instead of keeping the original design of the gorgeous gunmetal Ralph and Russo gown.
Does she always have to alter these designer duds!?
And, Vanessa Hudgens turned heads at the launch of Flaunt Magazine's Distress Issue in New York City on Wednesday, wearing a leopard blazer as a dress. Her two-toned bob and burgundy lips made the outfit even more edgy, but we prefer her usual boho-chic vibe.
But, these ladies weren't alone -- click "Launch Gallery" above to see more of this week's worst dressed stars.


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by guest blogger David Bronner
I’ve recently been activated on the genetically engineered food, or GMO, issue: If nothing is done, any crop or animal with significant market volume will be genetically engineered within the next 10 to 20 years, and consumers won’t know. The main arguments for labeling are:
1) American consumers have a right to know and judge for themselves what they put in their own and children’s bodies. We don’t need Mama-Monsanto-knows-best force-feeding us untested, potentially unhealthy GMO food because we can’t be trusted to make our own informed decisions.
2) GMO presents health risks, for example pesticide from GMO corn showing up in mothers’ and babies’ blood.
3) GMO herbicide-tolerant crops require more chemical herbicides, which is breeding herbicide-resistant superweeds. GMO = chemical companies selling more chemicals.
4) GMO is contaminating the non-GMO seed supply, interfering with farmers’ right to farm free of GMO.
5) Yield improvements are negligible, and GMO equals chemical-intensive fertilizer/herbicide/pesticide farming, which is not economically or environmentally sustainable.
6) If GMO supporters think GMO is so great, then they should proudly embrace GMO labels. Great quote from a Consumers Union spokesperson in a Chicago Tribune piece: “‘If companies say genetic engineering is fine, then OK, let’s label it and let the consumers make their own decisions,’ said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumers Union, which produces Consumer Reports. ‘That’s what all the free market supporters say. So let’s let the market work properly.'”
GMO as applied to agriculture is a tragedy, especially in the developing world. Biotech likes to market GMO as vitamins in drought-resistant rice to starving people, but GMO varieties that have been commercialized are generally pesticide/herbicide resistant so Monsanto can sell more chemicals, which is breeding resistant superweeds, and yield improvements are marginal. There’s also been an epidemic of farmer suicides in India as farmers go into debt for GM cotton and then kill themselves. GMO is basically chemical companies selling more chemicals, which farmers in the developing world neither need nor can afford. And synthetic pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers are all petroleum based so will continue to climb in price, and that isn’t sustainable environmentally or economically.
The UN published a great (and relatively short) report last year about how “Agro-Ecological,” “less chemical-intensive, more knowledge-intensive” agriculture is what the world needs, and it’s worth reading through. Knowing what plants to intercrop to minimize pest pressure, promote water retention, and build soil fertility naturally is agriculture that is knowledge based, which can’t be monetized and thus is universally opposed by biotech. Biotech concerns own the Obama U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as much as every other previous administration. Obama’s USDA just commercialized Roundup-ready alfalfa—only 7 percent of alfalfa right now is even sprayed with herbicide, and contamination of non-GM alfalfa is inevitable. Also, a GMO corn for ethanol was recently commercialized, which is a sad, perverse incentive of the subsidy schemes in place that promote huge overproduction of corn; corn kernels should not be making biofuel, as the energy return is almost nil versus the energy inputs (compared to sugar cane or cellulosic feedstocks like switchgrass and waste straw).
On a personal front, my dad developed the industry-standard, most-used firefighting foam concentrate for Monsanto in the ’80s, used in structure and forest fires in the U.S. and around the world. (Phoschek WD 881). I grew up selling firefighters on foam with my dad, and we have a rad fire truck in his honor you can check out at AllOneArk.com. In addition, our company had to drop our Dr. Bronner’s food products in the late ’90s because they were based on soy ingredients that we could no longer obtain in non-GM form (about 5 percent of our business at the time).
I’m fine with cool uses of genetic engineering, like E. coli making insulin, better algae for biofuels, and stuff that is not about Monsanto controlling and contaminating the agricultural seed supply and selling more chemicals. This has to stop, or we all will be living on Planet Monsanto within a couple of decades.
Well said, Maria! We need to raise public awareness so that everyone understands the extreme dangers of GMOs, and we need to push for labeling so that people can choose for themselves whether to eat genetically modified foods. It’s our right to know what’s in our food and to make our own choices for ourselves and our families! Thanks so much for speaking out so eloquently on this critically important issue! I’m sharing this on Facebook with the anti-GMO groups that I’m a part of.
Oops! I was so eager to read the post that I missed the first line saying that this was written by guest blogger David Bronner. Sorry! Very well said, David!
Well done, David. Btw, Bronner’s is the only soap product in my home. I’d always wondered what happened to my beloved Bronner’s Bullion. Now I know, thanks!
Thank you Mr. Bonner. This message particularly poignant coming from you.
Great additional info on this subject in link below.
Also info on 10/16/11 “Millions Against Monsanto Day”
If you want to increase your knowledge on GMOs and genetically engineered foods your interests most likely also include how to avoid the purchasing and consuming of these products.
Dear Mr Bonner, your last statement mentioned . I am afraid that if GMO foods continue as they are, algae may be better served as a food than as biofuels.
My last comment did not repeat part of your statement, so I will try again without the quote marks.
Dear Mr Bonner, your last statement mentioned , better algae for biofuels. I am afraid that if GMO foods continue as they are, algae may be better served as a food than as biofuels.
A better source as a biofuel would be non narcotic hemp. It grows well in most climates without the use of fertilizer and very little water. Non narcotic Hemp will out produce most crops, especially corn and soy as a biofuel. No herbicides are needed since weeds will distill well, along with crops to make biofuel, which makes me wonder why gmo weed resistent crops are needed at all. Non GMO corn and hemp could be used for both biofuel and food, since the distilling process creates 35% more protien due to the yeast and fermentation, and can then be used as a better feed for animals. Note, Cattle stomachs are not designed to eat corn or unfermented soy, but in a fermented state after distilling, it is more tolerable. Another note, for all you SILK drinkers, unfermented soy has too much estrogen in it and an eight ounce glass has the equivalent of five to six birth control pills, which is especially not good for babies and children, or anyone, for that matter. The last part from the doctor written book, MediSin.
All of you people are completely overreacting. GM Crops have never been proven to be detrimental to our health. The “extreme dangers” that Janet speaks of are nonexistent. You are the filth of humanity, you are a scourge in the existence of the entirety of the universe. You are all distorting the truth of Genetic advancements. You will always be nothing, doomed to posting on how right people are in regression. Good day sirs.
Whenever somebody or possibly a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.
Clients are a variety of war and sport.


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Released a little over a year ago, the LG Optimus G Pro is LG’s first entry into the fiercely competitive phablet market segment. Over the past few months, the device has been on a rather protracted journey towards its eventual Android 4.4 KitKat update. Back in late February, we got our hands on a leaked KitKat build for the AT&T variant of the device. And then approximately one month later, the Korean version of the device received its own official update to KitKat.
Of course, it’s expected for the regional device variants in LG’s home region to receive the update first, but the official KitKat update for the Korean model was exactly two months ago. Luckily, the KitKat rollout has now gotten underway for the AT&T variant of the device.
Today’s update comes in at firmware build E98020g (baseband APQ8064/MDM9x15M), and as expected, it packs Android 4.4.2 and a few other goodies. In addition to the expected KitKat-related UI and immersion mode tweaks, AT&T says that today’s update also brings “enhanced processing speed,” stronger security, and battery performance improvements.
The 700+ MB update will begin rolling out today via OTA update. Unfortunately, the firmware has not yet been captured and mirrored, but keep your eyes on these two threads for a mirror. It’s unfortunate that it has taken nearly seven months for this update to reach consumer devices. But as we said earlier today for Sony’s updates, it’s better late than never.
March 21, 2014 By: Will Verduzco
Released early Q2 last year, the LG Optimus G Pro is LG’s entry into the phablet world. Rocking a 5.5-inch display, the G Pro dwarfs pretty much all smartphones other than the Galaxy Notes, One Maxes, and Z Ultras in the world. Unfortunately up until now, the device hasn’t received its official dose of Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Luckily, this is now starting to change, as a few regional variants of the device are now receiving OTA updates to 4.4.2 KitKat.
News of the update rollout comes courtesy of XDA Forum Member necoritol. As expected, the first markets to receive the update are in LG’s homeland, South Korea. However, this means that currently only the F240 version of the device is seeing the update. Specifically, only the F240S and F240L, as LG is negotiating with carriers regarding updating the F240K. While this means nothing directly for the E988 variant available elsewhere in the world, it is a sign that good things are to come to the device in the (hopefully) near future.
You can learn more about the update in necoritol’s update thread. At this time, the update for the F240 S/L has not yet been captured. However, once it is captured and mirrored, we expect it to be added to the stock firmware repository for the G Pro.
[Many thanks to The_Carb for the heads up!]
Ever since its release in late October alongside the highly anticipated Google Nexus 5, Android 4.4 KitKat has been gradually making its way out to various consumer devices—first to modern Nexus and GPe devices, and later to other phones and tablets. While the aftermarket development community here on XDA has largely picked up the slack for the slow pace of OEMs, it’s still quite nice when a manufacturer releases an official build.
Now, we’ve gotten word that the official Android 4.4 update is drawing near for the LG Optimus G Pro. This discovery was made by XDA Forum Member shanmukha24 after he lost his IMEI when flashing a ROM to his AT&T LG G Pro (E980 ATT). After sending it in for service, the phone returned to him with a beta build of KitKat (AT&T branding, and all). And according to shanmukha24, the service person stated that the update would be making its way out within a month or so.
While the news of a coming update for a relatively high end device would normally be of no major significance, progress is being made to extract this beta KitKat ROM for all others to enjoy. As such, shanmukha24 has already managed to extract the /system partition, in the hopes that developers can create a flashable update for rooted end users.
[Many thanks to XDA Forum Member The_Carb for the tip!]


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The Westminster Mall is the only one in California that will be spun off from Simon Property Group Inc. into a new real estate investment trust, according to the company.
The new publicly-traded REIT is called SpinCo and will have 44 malls and 54 strip centers in its portfolio. The SpinCo properties each have annual net operating income of about $10 million or less.
SpinCo allows publicly traded Simon Property Group to put a separate focus on its larger centers and dividend growth for it shareholders, the company said in its announcement on the transaction.
Westminster Mall totals about 1.2 million square feet and is 90% occupied. Anchor tenants include Macy's JCPenney, Sears, Target and DSW.
In July, Simon moved former Westminster Mall General Manager Rajeev Chhabra to the same position at the Brea Mall. Chhabra was succeeded by Kevin Caulson at Westminster.
Simon’s other mall properties here are the Shops at Mission Viejo and The Outlets at Orange.
Simon sold the struggling Laguna Hills Mall for $110 million to Merlone Geier Partners earlier this year.


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As it seemed initially, Huawei’s HarmonyOS should have been destined to entirely replace the Android system. However, the real intentions of the house began to leak when the Mate 30 series was launched with the AOSP build of the green robot and the absence of Google services.
The president of the Global Media and Communications department of Huawei Joy Tan , confirmed that the brand will continue to rely on Android for the operating system on its future devices, since the transition to a possible new system would require years of development, with the burden on the part of the company to regain customer confidence.
Since Huawei has always sold its Android devices in Europe and Asian markets since its introduction into the smartphone market, users who use its products clearly refer to Google’s mobile services and this gives the company a reason to concentrate its resources on the expansion of proprietary mobile services.
Therefore, the company intends to replace the Mountain View services with its own, continuing to use an open Android system. The Chinese company’s mobile services are relatively new in their field, requiring years before a complete package can be made available. The company had already confirmed that HarmonyOS (HongmengOS in China) would not be destined to replace Android.
Without a strong and reliable app ecosystem, Huawei will face a difficult time convincing users to buy its devices. A situation completely analogous to what happened to Microsoft with Windows Mobile.
In a recent interview with the Financial Times , Joy Tan admitted that the lack of Google apps was more demanding than initially expected . The executive also revealed that the company failed to contact the legislative branch of the US government. Time will tell if the road that Huawei wants to take will be the right one.


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LONDON — Yatsen Holding Limited, the owner of Tmall’s best-selling cosmetics brand Perfect Diary, saw its gross sales for the first quarter ended March 31 jump 47 percent year-over-year to 1.69 billion renminbi, or $257.3 million.
The Guangzhou-based company’s net revenues in the period increased 42.7 percent to 1.44 billion renminbi, or $220.5 million, while gross profit rose 58.8 percent to 991.6 million renminbi, or $151.3 million, pushing the quarter’s gross margin up to 68.6 percent from 61.7 percent a year ago.
Net loss in the first quarter widened to 319 renminbi, or $48.7 million, from 191.7 million renminbi in the first quarter of 2020, making the net loss margin rise from 18.9 percent to 22.1 percent year-over-year.
Selling and marketing expenses almost doubled in the period from 556.9 million renminbi in 2020 to 1.04 billion renminbi, or $159.1 million. As a percentage of total net revenues, selling and marketing expenses increased to 72.1 percent from 55 percent year-over-year.
Yatsen said the increase in percentage was primarily due to “investment in promotions and consumer awareness-building for the newer brands,” and “testing of the effectiveness of new traffic acquisition channels.”
The number of direct-to-consumer customers increased by 11.6 percent to 9.6 million in the period year-over-year. The average net revenue per d-to-c was 112.9 renminbi, up 24.5 percent from the first quarter of 2020.
Jinfeng Huang, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Yatsen, said growth in the quarter was mostly driven by its flagship Perfect Diary. The launch of the mass-market cosmetics brand Pink Bear, and the acquisition of Eve Lom and Dr. Wu’s mainland China business this quarter propelled its brand portfolio expansion.
He was pleased to see that brand premiumization and disciplined pricing and discount policies are boosting the company’s revenue per d-to-c user and gross margin.
“While we are still in the early stages of integration for our newly acquired brands, we already saw signs of success with the relaunch of certain hero products within the Galénic and Dr. Wu portfolio,” he added.
For the second quarter of 2021, the company expects total net revenues to grow around 50 to 55 percent.


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BuzzFeed Is Going Public. Now What for Vox Media, Group Nine and Vice?
“For us, it’s about ambition and opportunity, and we’re ambitious,” said Jim Bankoff, Managing Director of Vox Media. “We’re going to weigh our options, but we’re going to do it from a strong position. He wouldn’t comment on financial details or potential transactions.
Group Nine has had discussions with major publishers, including Vox Media, about a possible merger for its own SPAC list, but so far none have taken place, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Group Nine boss Ben Lerer said in an interview that the company was “in an enviable position” given recent sales growth.
“PSPC obviously allows us to be even more ambitious,” he said.
One option for Group Nine would be a deal with one of its biggest backers: Discovery Inc. The media giant recently orchestrated a bold takeover of WarnerMedia in an attempt to better compete in streaming. Group Nine properties have helped attract hundreds of thousands of new customers to Discovery’s streaming platform through content partnerships, making it an attractive takeover target.
The digital advertising market flourished during the pandemic as people began to spend more online; BuzzFeed, Vox Media and Group Nine have all benefited from this. However, their earnings were nothing compared to the sums brought in by the digital giants.
“The crumbs of Facebook, Google and Amazon are the cake of Vox, Group Nine and Buzzfeed,” said Brian Wieser, chief analyst at GroupM, the media investment arm of advertising firm WPP.
This disparity underscores the need for ad-focused publishers to continue to grow.
BuzzFeed’s entry into public markets is likely to give it an advantage. In addition to cash, he will be able to use his shares as currency to complete another transaction in the direction of his purchase at HuffPost.
“We will have opportunities to pursue more acquisitions, and there are more exciting companies that we want to pursue,” said Jonah Peretti, co-founder and CEO of BuzzFeed last month.
When asked if BuzzFeed would consider getting into the subscription business, he said in a recent interview, “Of course we would. Why not?”
#BuzzFeed #Public #Vox #Media #Group #Vice


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MELBOURNE — London metal exchange copper hit its highest in a week on Tuesday, buoyed by signs of accelerating industrial demand in China, the world’s biggest consumer of metals.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
* LME COPPER: London Metal Exchange copper touched $6,807, the highest since Sept. 8, before paring gains to trade flat at $6,800 a tonne by 0447 GMT. Prices have been creeping back toward 26-month highs of $6,830 touched early this month.
* SHFE COPPER: The most-traded contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange edged up 0.3% to 52,220 yuan ($7,696.16) a tonne.
* CHINA: China’s industrial output growth accelerated in August, while retail sales expanded for the first time this year, suggesting the economic recovery is gathering pace as demand starts to improve more broadly from the coronavirus crisis.
* “Stronger-than generally expected Chinese demand alongside COVID-19-related supply disruptions…, improving investor sentiment due to government financial support measures globally and economic re-openings have created an increasingly optimistic view of the sector,” research firm Fitch Solutions said in a note.
“We maintain our bullish view on the complex over the coming months as we expect the aforementioned market drivers will continue to power prices.”


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With the announcement that Woolworths will be severing ties with struggling hardware retailer Masters, industry insiders are now predicting a fire sale of unprecedented proportions.
What started as a four-year, multi-billion dollar project for Woolworths, looking to muscle in on Bunnings’ market share, has failed disastrously.
Having never managed to pull a profit for the grocery-sector giant, Woolworths chairman Gordon Cairns announced the company's plans to cut ties with the home improvement business on Monday.
If a buyer isn't found, 7,000 jobs are on the line and millions of dollars in stock will need to be sold.
Brad Trethowan, who owns Brad the Builder Constructions and is a co-owner of online retailer BuildBITS, believes a fire sale will probably be on the cards.
"There's probably going to be a big fire sale, you're probably going to get bargains. A lot of bargains," he told A Current Affair.
"They've got to offload everything and they've got to do it at a dirt cheap price to try and empty their stores."
He is surprised that Woolworths are already pulling the pin on the retailer, given that Bunnings was such a huge beast to compete with.
"When they actually opened up their first Masters, I thought 'they're going to be in a bit of trouble because Bunnings is a big competitor', and if you're going to take on someone like Bunnings, you've got to be in for a long battle," he said.
Consumer research firm Canstar recently surveyed 2,500 hardware store customers and surprisingly, Masters performed quite well in terms of customer satisfaction.
"Those people that go to Masters are actually genuinely happy with what they're getting, the problem for Masters is that not enough people have been going through the doors," Canstar spokesperson Simon Downes told A Current Affair.
For Masters, the problem has been that they just aren't Bunnings.
"When people in Australia think of hardware stores, they immediately think of Bunnings. It's so ingrained in the Australian psyche that if you need a new hammer or a new power tool or a new whatever it is, Bunnings is the place to go," Mr Downes said.
"If a tradie goes onto a job site or someone's looking for hardware, they don't actually say 'where's the local hardware store?', they say where's the local Bunnings?"
Consumer research and rights groups, such as Canstar, are hoping that Masters can find a way to stay viable to keep competition in the sector strong.
"It's still important that there are hardware stores that do challenge Bunnings on all of its aspects, but of course on price as well," Mr Downes said.
As staff and stakeholders are being forced to wait and see what the near future will hold, Bunnings has gone from strength to strength.
Just this week, the company confirmed its foray into UK market with its $700 million acquisition of Homebase.
"Their slogan is 'lowest prices are just the beginning'. Yeah, well I'm pretty sure that's about right because in the end, they'll pretty much wipe out everyone. Bunnings just has the whole market sewn up," Mr Trethowan said.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019


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Artist Paints Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Using Feces
Street artist KATSU has created a portrait of Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, using an unusual medium: his own feces, the Daily What reports.
The gallery website says that the show includes “shit paintings that are meticulous renderings of tech giants in control of more information than the government, created from the compromising bio-matter of the artist.”
It isn’t the first time that KATSU has depicted Zuckerberg. In 2013, he made a series of prints showing the entrepreneur with a black eye, which he posted around the streets of New York. At the time KATSU told Gizmodo “He’s [Zuckerberg] this mutation, this gross aspiration everyone idolizes. His face has reach. He deserves to be ridiculed,” adding that “With the internet being literally woven into the human experience I cannot stand by and not voice my discontent with those who plan on owning our lives.”
The portrait is part of the artist’s latest solo show Remember the Future at the Hole Gallery in New York, which deals with the theme of humans’ relationship to, and interaction with, technology.
The show also features a reinterpretation of Andy Warhol’s Marilyns painted using drones with spray cans attached to them─a technique pioneered by the artist─a monitor showing the video game Grand Theft Auto V being played by the artist “from an undisclosed location” during the gallery’s opening hours, and a pile of neon-colored 3-D printed guns, which sits in a pile on the gallery floor.
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Submitted by EnergyTechStocks.com
Even if there’s a prolonged global recession, there will still be a critical need to develop new technologies to cope with massive forecasted demand growth for electricity and transportation fuel. With two billion or more people and some 600 million more cars and trucks expected within 15 to 20 years, the world has no choice but to develop technology-based solutions to its steadily-worsening energy crisis.
Given the newness of many promising energy technologies, it’s logical to think there are energy-tech developers that are currently ultra small cap companies destined to become long-term winners. Keeping in mind that ultra small caps are, by definition, riskier investments than large caps, here are five ultra small caps that investors may want to research further, beginning with:
ZAP, a California-based company that trades over-the-counter.
With the global car market tanking, it’s hard to pay much attention to a small company with a funny name that sells cars that most people don’t think even exist yet. But ZAP not only exists, the company posted record sales in August of $737,000, 88% higher than the year-ago period. In addition, it shipped a record number of vehicles in the third quarter. “While most U.S. automakers are laying off workers and facing declining sales, ZAP is experiencing record growth,” the company’s CEO said in a press release issued two weeks ago.
ZAP not only sells electric cars. It makes and sells electric trucks, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles and ATVs. The company has had trouble gaining market traction. But with virtually every major auto manufacturer accelerating plans for introducing electric vehicles, and with emerging countries fueling record sales of electric scooters and bikes, ZAP would appear to be a company that could grow on its own or fit into another company’s plans. ZAP recently announced a strategic partnership with Dubai-based Al Yousuf Group which it hopes will expand its international distribution network.
While ZAP posted operating losses in both the second quarter and first half, the losses were less than half what they were in their respective year-ago periods.


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Maritime technology firm ZeroNorth is seeing growing demand for its e-BDN service as Singapore edges towards making the system mandatory for marine fuel supply in its waters.
Singapore launched the use of e-BDNs in November, with ZeroNorth among the four firms whitelisted as suppliers of this service to the local bunker industry.
The firm now anticipates the service becoming a mandatory part of bunkering in Singapore by the end of this year, with a possible announcement at Singapore Maritime Week events next week, Kenneth Juhls, managing director of ZeroNorth Bunker, said in an interview with Ship & Bunker.
ZeroNorth is currently providing its e-BDN service to just over 90 barges, of which about 60 are Singapore-based. The typical payment model is a fee per barge per month, with the fee varying depending on the size of the operation.
"They haven't firmed up the date yet [of when e-BDNs will be made mandatory]," Juhls said.
"I really hope and expect that they will announce something during Singapore Maritime Week in April to give some indication to the market on when it will become mandatory.
"I do expect this to happen probably in Q4 2024. But I think it's also fair to say that MPA is obviously looking at all the learnings right now.
"Putting regulatory pressure on this really accelerates the adoption, so I don't see a need for pushing this out further.
"I think whatever learnings we're taking right now can be solved by collaborating with MPA, the suppliers and the service providers, and I'm sure we can overcome that."
The company has seen growing interest from bunker suppliers at the start of the year to take advantage of a subsidy from Singapore's MPA before it expires.
Companies that successfully apply for a grant before the end of March will have half their e-BDN cost paid for the first year after that.
"All the suppliers are scrambling to figure out who to partner up with from the four listed service providers," Juhls said.
"We have met with basically all 41 licensed suppliers that in some shape or form need to comply at some point.
"I would expect that by the end of March, when the grant from MPA runs out, the majority of the ones that are eligible for that grant will have made a decision and actually applied for the grant.
"Because it's quite an attractive carrot MPA provided by paying 50% of the first year's subscription fee."
The firm is currently cautious in its outlook for e-BDN uptake beyond Singapore, with demand emerging organically from suppliers and buyers but less pressure being imposed by regulators.
"I haven't seen any port authorities being as progressive as MPA, at least not by putting money behind it," Juhls said.
"I do really think that there will be enormous pressure from suppliers and customers to adopt this very fast, because there's so many scale benefits, efficiency benefits, speed of transactions, for the supplier.
"But also I think there will come quite a significant push from the buyers.
"We have dialogues in ARA, in the US, the Mediterranean and the Middle East."
The growing uptake of alternative fuels may also be a driver of demand for e-BDN services.
"I would expect this to increase quite a lot, because we need much more information related to these new fuels," Juhls said.
"All the energy calculations you need to do going forward will be much easier with more information you get, as early as possible.
"There's a lot of information that we can capture much better with this e-BDN solution."
Juhls is also chair of industry body IBIA's digitalisation working group. One of the issues the group is working on is to get the competing digital systems to work in compatible ways.
"It's very much about standardisation -- how we can make sure that the different providers of e-BDN solutions have some sort of common trait in terms of the data they're capturing," he said.
"That would make it easier for the buy side of the market to actually use the different service providers."
And from ZeroNorth's point of view, one of the challenges the company has been addressing is how to work in areas with unreliable internet access.
"The main issue that persists is connectivity issues -- do you have access to the internet," Juhls said.
"In some places it's strong and in others it's less strong.
"One of the things that is super important and that we now have live in the market is an offline mode.
"That means you can execute the full delivery offline, and once you're back online, you can save all the data and redistribute it afterwards."


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An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the deadline for industry to stop producing foods with artificial trans fat is June 15. The deadline is June 18. This post has been updated.
Do you check the ingredients list on food labels for "partially hydrogenated oil"?
It's increasingly hard to find. That's because Monday marks the deadline for the food industry to stop producing foods that contain artificial trans fat.
Monday's deadline comes just over 14 years after the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Nutrition Action's publisher, asked the Food and Drug Administration to revoke partially hydrogenated oil’s status as safe for use in foods.
As a result, the heart-disease-promoting factory-made fat, once ubiquitous in restaurant deep fryers and in pastries, pie crusts, microwave popcorns, margarines and shortenings, and thousands of other packaged foods, is now virtually gone from the food supply.
“The elimination of artificial trans fat from the food supply represents a historic and long-fought victory for public health,” said CSPI senior scientist and former executive director Michael F. Jacobson, who led CSPI’s efforts to get artificial trans fat out of foods. “Ridding the food supply of partially hydrogenated oils will save tens of thousands of lives each year.”
How we got here
In the early 1990s, evidence began to mount that partially hydrogenated oils were powerful promoters of heart disease. Trans fat elevates LDL ("bad") cholesterol, while lowering HDL ("good") cholesterol.
In 1993, Dr. Walter Willett, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, published the first large study on trans fat and the risk of coronary heart disease. It showed a striking increase in risk with higher intake.
“At the time of peak usage, industrially produced trans fats in packaged and restaurant foods were contributing to about 50,000 early deaths annually,” said Dr. Willett. “Now that partially hydrogenated oils are virtually gone, it’s remarkable that nobody really misses them—not consumers, and for the most part, not even the food industry. But the entire food supply is safer as a result.”
In 2006, a typical three-piece Extra Crispy combo meal from KFC—a drumstick, two thighs, potato wedges, and a biscuit—contained a staggering 15 grams of artificial trans fat. That’s more than a person should consume in a week. Today, the same meal at KFC has zero grams of trans fat. In 2002, a serving of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes had seven grams of trans fat. Today, it has zero grams.
“The food industry once used about eight billion pounds of partially hydrogenated oil annually,” Jacobson said. “Replacing that with healthier oils was an enormous undertaking. Manufacturers and restaurants, oil producers, seed developers, and farmers all deserve great credit for making the transition.”


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April 30, 2020
Venture Beat: The fallacy of ‘normal’: How the coronavirus will reboot venture capital
The measures most of the world has put in place to mitigate the spread of the pandemic has shut down the global economy in a more abrupt fashion than we’ve ever seen.
April 15, 2020
TechCrunch: As Stocks Recover, Private Investors Aren’t Buying the Hype
Hello and welcome back to our regular morning look at private companies, public markets and the gray space in between
March 3, 2020
Shasta Ventures Launches Shasta Ignite Platform to Help Early-stage Founders Ignite and Accelerate Growth
Shasta Ventures launched a platform dedicated to helping founders and executives of its early-revenue startups acquire and retain customers.


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Uber was charging customers in Sydney more than four times the normal rate during the hostage crisis on Monday before deciding to refund customers and offer free rides following backlash on social media.
As Sydney citizens tried to escape from the scary situation in Sydney’s Central Business District, demand for Uber rides expectedly increased. When demand goes up, Uber applies its “surge pricing model,” which the company uses to help encourage more drivers to start working and meet that demand.
But this strategy has come under fire, particularly during emergency situations. It happened again on Monday, when Mashable reported some Uber customers seeing price spikes as high as 4X with a $100 minimum fare in Sydney.
People then took to social media to express their frustration with the surge pricing. Soon after, Uber said it would refund customers who had to pay extra for their ride due to surge pricing. The company also began offering free rides:
Uber rides out of the CBD today are free for all riders to help Sydneysiders get home safely. See http://t.co/UIwoom25Bm for more info.
— Now Uber_Australia (@Uber_Sydney) December 15, 2014
It was a swift decision by Uber, which has dealt with similar situations during emergencies like Hurricane Sandy. After that particular event, Uber met with New York’s attorney general and in July agreed to cap its surge prices during emergencies and natural disasters. It also vowed to apply the same process to its service across the U.S.
“This policy intends to strike the careful balance between the goal of transportation availability with community expectations of affordability during disasters,” CEO Travis Kalanick wrote in a blog post.
Whether the policy extended to Sydney is not clear.
It hasn’t been the best of times recently for Uber from a PR perspective. The company, which just raised another $1.2 billion at a massive $40 billion valuation, was banned from operating in New Delhi after one of its drivers allegedly raped a passenger. Uber was also just sued by the City of Portland after the company began operating there illegally earlier this month.
The crisis in Sydney, meanwhile, is still ongoing with some of the hostages having fled.


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High-resolution music streaming service Qobuz has launched its first ever TV app, and if you’re a Samsung smart TV owner, you’ll be first in line to enjoy it.
There is a caveat to the app’s availablity though, as it’ll only be made available in the 18 markets worldwide where Qobuz currently operates.
So, for Samsung smart TV owners in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States, you’re in luck.
In addition to that, the Galaxy Store will be featuring the Qobuz app as an Editor’s Choice within the smart TV area, putting it front-and-centre for added awareness.
Samsung TV owners who download the Qobuz app are eligible for a one-month free trial to sample the offering; a music streaming service with human-crafted playlists, exclusive content such as Qobuz bios, as well as album reviews, liner notes and digital booklets, all of which mark Qobuz out as a streaming service for the serious music fan.
Existing subscribers can sign in via a QR code for instant access to their favourite albums and playlists in what’s described as a familiar and easy-to-use interface.
On the launch of the app, Maya Harris, Sr. Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships for Samsung Electronics said: “Samsung is dedicated to redefining home entertainment and pushing the boundaries of what customers can expect from Smart TVs,” said “The launch of Qobuz on Samsung Smart TVs illustrates how dynamic the smart TV experience has become, both as a single platform as well as a hub for the entire connected home.”
Georges Fornay, Deputy CEO of Qobuz, noted that “Smart TV apps are frequently requested by our subscribers so it only makes sense to develop for the biggest first. It’s exciting to know that our service will get in front of so many music fans and all the potential customers in the Samsung ecosystem.”


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Sources inform ''Globes'' that the IDF is considering developing a quiet electric vehicle for carrying troops and cargo and with the capabilities of regular vehicles. The vehicle will have a diesel or gasoline engine to extend its range by hundreds of kilometers when the batteries run out. The IDF is reportedly examining various platforms for the vehicle, including jeeps and dune buggies.
Industry sources believe that Elbit Systems Ltd. (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT) is a leading contender to develop and supply the electric vehicle. In recent years, the company has accumulated extensive experience in the development of electric vehicles and batteries, including electric motors for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The sources added that an electric vehicle contract could be worth tens of millions of dollars.
The IDF plan is part of a global military trend to develop electric vehicles based on breakthrough battery and efficient electric motor technologies. The Pentagon is running R&D contracts to develop electric and hybrid vehicles of various kinds for operational use.
The Ministry of Defense is also considering applying Better Place's recharging infrastructure at IDF bases, which could be used for the fleet of electric military vehicles, as well as for civilian electric cars when they become available.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on February 1, 2009
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2009


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February 2022 E-News: Continuing Troubles in China Make Reshoring More Attractive
These famous companies are becoming less dependent on China Apple, Microsoft, Nike, HP, Yahoo, LinkedIn, Intel and Alphabet are just a few of the companies pulling some work out of China. Companies are leaving for a myriad of reasons, including supply chain difficulties, censorship, U.S. tariffs on imports, security issues and ethical concerns regarding the mistreatment of Muslim Uyghurs. There is a space in the current TCO Estimator to quantify such factors. The revised TCO Estimator, due out this year, will more directly address these and other hot issues.


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NYSE May Drop Sunbeam From Exchange
MIAMI (AP) _ Officials at the New York Stock Exchange have warned Sunbeam Corp. it may delist the company’s stock because it is failing to meet the exchange’s requirements.
NYSE officials said the company did not meet standards for minimum market capitalization, shareholder equity or average closing share price required to remain listed on the exchange, Sunbeam said Thursday.
Sunbeam, based in Boca Raton, primarily makes appliances, other household goods and camping gear. Last year it posted losses that fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.
In 2000, Sunbeam posted a second-quarter loss of $80.2 million, or 75 cents per share, compared with $46.9 million, or 47 cents per share in the same quarter the previous year.
Sunbeam blamed its poor performance on customers no longer buying generators and outdoor equipment in preparation for possible Y2K power outages.


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This spring, researchers discovered microplastics in human blood for the first time ever. Of the 22 anonymous donor samples analyzed in the study, 17 contained microplastics – just over 80%. Microplastics, ever-present in our water, are now a part of our diet, as other studies have shown a presence of microplastics in the sea salt we use to season our meals.
But the problem of plastic in our oceans is not a recent one. As much as 8.8 million tons of plastic are carelessly discarded into the sea every year. Recent studies estimate that there are around five thousand billion pieces of plastic floating in our oceans: a figure beyond comprehension. Of this drifting debris, fishing nets are among the most harmful plastic pollutants, killing or seriously injuring more than 650,000 marine animals each year.
Patagonia is concerned about this issue and committed to the global improvement of our environments. Through collaborating with the Californian company Bureo, Patagonia is doing its part, by recycling fishing nets and transforming them into a material called NetPlus, which is not only recycled, but 100% traceable. This inspiring environmental initiative takes place along the west coast of the Americas, between Chile and California.
Plastic fishing nets have no viable alternative. And with fishermen having little or no access to waste management infrastructure, nets are unfortunately mostly left in the water when they’re no longer usable. Though once made of natural biodegradable materials, fishing nets have been manufactured from plastic for the past 40 years. Lighter, stronger and easier to repair, these plastic nets take hundreds of years to decompose, while also degrading the marine environments that fishermen already exploit.
When the co-founders of Bureo realized in 2013 that these nets are made from a highly recyclable raw material, it was a revelation – and they knew exactly who to turn to. Patagonia, after all, is always looking for new ways to reduce its use of raw plastic materials. Fishing nets are perfect: they’ve already completed one useful life cycle, and are given a new life through being turned into fabrics and hat visors.
The process is quite simple: Bureo links up with coastal fishing communities throughout South America and buys their unusable nets. The company employs local workers to sort, clean and package the recovered nets, which are then shipped to the company’s partner in southern Chile for recycling. There, the nets are transformed into a raw material that can replace new plastic.
So far, the program has prevented hundreds of tons of nets from being left behind in the ocean, on top of providing additional employment and income for the communities involved.
Patagonia has been supporting the development of Bureo’s NetPlus since 2016. Today, the material is not only used in hats, but also in Patagonia’s coats and, starting this season, in the famous Baggies shorts (Men’s; Women’s).
Through transforming fishing nets, Patagonia has prevented 149 tons of plastic from contaminating the oceans. The brand states that the hat visors were an obvious use for NetPlus, and easy to make. But the company’s developers had to work with other partners in its supply chain to find ways to chemically transform the plastic from nets into high-quality fabric, so that it could be used in clothing as well. As a result of these efforts, additional tons of nets have been transformed into fabric since the fall of 2021.
In total, Patagonia has recycled over 400 tons of fishing nets. And the brand intends to continue incorporating them into even more of its products in the years to come.
For generations, worn, torn and irreparable fishing nets have been left in the ocean. So much so that these nets now make up nearly 10% of the plastic volume found in our seas.
Using the raw materials extracted from the discarded fishing nets reduces the consumption of new plastic, while also avoiding further water pollution. And as a bonus, the process contributes to growing the local economies of the coastal communities involved, as well as helps to create healthier marine environments. By incorporating NetPlus into a variety of its products, Patagonia is setting a great example for circularity.


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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - RealNetworks, which claims more than 1 million paying subscribers viewing or listening to content on computers using its programs, is extending that business to mobile phones as well.
But don't expect to see paying subscribers to this service until later this year.
RealNetworks RNWK, +11.26% announced Monday its RealOne Mobile Media Guide, which is essentially its mobile version of content offered to consumers over computers.
Real's content partners for its mobile business include Capitol Records, CNet Radio Direct, FoxSports.com, IFilm, NPR, PGA Tour, Sporting News Radio, Triggerstreet.com and Virgin Records.
Real's move to get a mobile subscription business underway comes a few months after Yahoo YHOO said it was starting a subscription business -- Yahoo Platinum -- which essentially competes against Real. Real is also battling Microsoft's MSFT, -0.51% Media Player for desktop supremacy.
To this end, Real is moving aggressively to capture the mobile market.
"Wireless is the most important source of new revenue for us," said Dan Sheeran, vice president of RealNetworks, in an interview with CBS.MarketWatch.com.
Of course, the mobile business is new and therefore the revenue is relatively tiny. RealNetworks' content partners don't pay Real to be on its mobile guide, nor does Real pay the content providers. At some point, however, that will have to change. If Sheeran's words are any indication, Real will likely be paying for that content one day. "We currently don't pay the content providers," said Sheeran.
At the moment, consumers can already access Real's mobile guide on Nokia's NOK, +2.75% 3650 and Pocket PC devices. The wireless access providers are AT&T Wireless, Cingular and T-Mobile. Most carriers buy the servers, but Real can also outsource the use of the servers.
It is through these relations that Real makes some money.
The phone makers, like Nokia, license Real's client software while the carriers license Real's servers. The carriers then charge consumers for minutes used to access the content. But later this year consumers will have to pay a subscription. At the moment, Real is unclear what the subscription price will be, said Sheeran. Later this year, Siemens and Samsung products supporting the RealOne Mobile Media Guide will be available.
If Real's success on the computer is any guide, consumers will change their habits and begin paying.
And that's Real's biggest challenge: conditioning consumer behavior.
It may be a challenge to convince a consumer that he or she needs on-demand news from NPR, when there is always free radio. The movie guides also have a limited selection of movie trailers for consumers to see, and there is no search feature to make it easier for someone to find a movie. But those will come in time, said Sheeran.
Shares of LendingTree soared on the news.
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JAPAN: Honda to scale back business trips to China
Honda Motor will cut back on business trips to China to keep a low profile at a time when anti-Japanese sentiment appears to be running high, the automaker's chief executive reportedly said on Thursday.
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text: Reports are that online schooling is exploding in the USA. According to NewScientist, a small but rapidly growing number of families are turning to the Internet as an alternative to chronically under-resourced brick and mortar institutions. And as Kurzweil put it: Proponents say online primary and secondary education, whether full-time or as part of a “blended” program of online and face-to-face education, could usher in a new era of personalizing education that will give each child the best chance of success. According to the Evergreen Education Group based in Durango, Colorado, during the 2010-2011 school year, approximately a quarter of a million students attended online-only schools. Knowmia (http://www.knowmia.com/) a Silicon Valley-based start-up, reportedly is building a recommendation engine for the ever-expanding collection of free online educational videos.


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Sports organizer TriFactory and international sports brand New Balance have joined forces to announce the upcoming Pyramids Marathon, a multi-disciplinary race open to all publics.The ads inform
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UPDATED with additional information supplied by General Motors Canada
Cadillac has announced it will end production of its ATS compact sedan after the 2018 model year.
The revelation is no big surprise: GM's luxury brand had already said it planned to replace the 2018 Cadillac ATS, CTS and XTS four-door sedan models with a pair of new cars in a bid to appeal to much of the same clientele while reducing overhead costs. Indeed, GM confirmed the ATS is going away so the company can "upgrade, expand and re-tool" the factory that builds it to prepare for "the next generation of Cadillac sedans."
The next generation will still include the 2018 Cadillac CT6 flagship sedan, which will be left untouched. The ATS two-door coupe will also carry on for at least one more model year, but only in the U.S.; in Canada it will disappear along with the sedan.
Among other future plans is the introduction of the three-row XT6 crossover (probably early in 2019), which would fill the gap between the XT5 and Escalade. That's a market Cadillac has not served since the first generation SRX was redesigned into a smaller shape in 2010.
Following the launch of the XT4 compact crossover this fall, Cadillac promises to launch a new model every six months until 2021, a volley that will presumably include those two new sedans.
For the ATS' part, while it is an entertaining car to drive — particularly in high-performance V trim — its interior was snug compared to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class with which it competed.


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After seeing members of the community struggling to make ends meet, the owner of the Lake Fork, Texas Star Mart started looking for ways to help.
The kindness and compassion of one convenience store owner in Lake Fork, Texas is not going unnoticed.
According to a recent report from Belleville News-Democrat, one Star Mart convenience store located on Farm Road 515 has posted a sign offering a free sandwich and bottle of water to customers who do not have money or a job.
The sign is taped to a refrigerator window near the back of the store.
Belleville News-Democrat reported that the sign was posted by the store’s owner, Frank Hemani, when he began to notice that some of the people in the community were struggling to get by. Hemani was determined to help those in need, and he stated that he hands out around six free sandwiches per week.
Hemani also recently made a free pizza for a woman and her two children because the mother could not afford to buy food for her children and herself, Belleville News-Democrat reported.
Belleville News-Democrat noted that Hemani got the idea for this offering from a video that showed a grocery store making a similar offer. His sign has now been up for two months.


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Company Launches New Deck and Railing Line
Two years after it was founded, Composatron Composite Technology has taken another step in its strategy to become a major player in the North American deck market. It has launched its own line of rail...
Two years after it was founded, Composatron Composite Technology has taken another step in its strategy to become a major player in the North American deck market. It has launched its own line of railing and decking products, Premier Composite Railing and Deck.
The Premier line is being distributed in Ontario and Quebec by the wholesale building products distributor Nicholson and Cates. According to Composatron vice president Drew Knox, the company is initially targeting the new line at independent lumber yards, businesses which often serve as supply outlets for contractors and deck installers. Knox says the company launched the product in Canada and the U.S. this past spring at a number of trade shows. It is currently looking for wholesale distributor partners for the remainder of Canada, as well as the mid-west and southeast regions of the U.S.
“What makes our line unique is the railing,” says Knox. “A lot of companies have composite deckboards, but they don’t have the railing to complement it. The railing helps sell the decking.”
Composatron is a licensee of Strandex, a proprietary technology for making wood-fibre plastic composite products. With the Strandex method, wood flour is first dried and pre-mixed with base resin. For the Premier line’s railing system the base resin is PVC; while the base resin for the line’s deckboards is polyethylene. The wood flour-resin mixture is then fed to the extruder where a unique die extrudes the material in rope-like strands, which are then combined to make the final board. Knox says the Strandex process provides better plastic encapsulation of the wood fibre and produces a composite board with enhanced properties, such as improved strength and UV-resistance.
White PVC capstock is co-extruded over profiles produced for the Premier railing system. The co-extrusion process chemically bonds the PVC and composite board materials.
“The railing system is extremely strong, and comes with pre-drilled holes for brackets,” says Knox. “It is designed to be very easy to assemble.”
Composatron’s Toronto manufacturing plant has approximately 55,000 sq. ft of floor space, employing about 70 people. The company currently has four extrusion lines and could be adding one or two more lines over the next year. It is working on installing a fully automated materials handling system to deliver raw wood-plastic composite material from the compounding room to extruders, improving efficiency.
Says Knox: “We are looking at launching a number of new products, but at the same time we don’t want to grow too quickly. We want to have sales in balance of with our capacity.”


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Saying it like it is, and sharing it too
Telecommunications company TMN launched its new slogan “vamos lá” (Let’s Go or Come on) through an innovative Facebook-integrated website. The site encourages people to share testimonials as well as provide a feed of positive news about successful Portuguese businesses and initiatives. Visitors can contribute with more news and share stories on Facebook.
Why it matters
In a time when big companies are looking to gain consumer trust, this is an excellent way of improving a brand’s image while making the most of current online social tools to reach potential customers. How can big brands refresh or enhance their reputation in a time where consumers are far more discerning about where they spend their money?
PMc is the world's first paid for, iPhone-only magazine. The magazine is published bi-monthly by New York-based iPhone media company Hot Phone Hit Factory. Readers can download the magazine from the iPhone App store for USD 0.99
New York City’s Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications is providing free WiFi to passers-by through the city’s 12,000 phone booths. The whole installation and maintenance is being paid for by an advertiser who provides the ads on the booths.


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A new bubble tea store has opened in the centre of Leicester.
UK bubble tea brand CUPP has launched its latest branch in East Gates, opposite the entrance to the Highcross shopping centre.
Aiming to set itself apart from other bubble tea operators, CUPP is described as a premium bubble tea brand with an emphasis on being healthy by using real fruit and quality ingredients.
The Leicester branch opened its doors on Friday, and to celebrate the launch, the first 100 customers were given a free cup of bubble tea. After that, drinks were half price for the rest of the day.
CUPP's bubble tea is made with loose leaf tea, fresh fruit, organic milk, and house-made brown sugar syrup.
There's a wide variety of teas available on the menu, such as milk teas including coconut milk tea and strawberry milk tea, fruit teas including lemon tea and grapefruit tea, and matcha teas including strawberry matcha and rose matcha.
Toppings include tapioca pearls, popping bubbles and coconut jelly.
CUPP was launched in Bristol in 2012, by founder Lee Peacock, who had returned from living in Taiwan for three years.
After falling in love with the country, food, people, and the national drink, he says he decided to bring an integral part of his life back to the UK.
CUPP aims to become the largest UK bubble tea operator, and currently has nine stores in Bristol, Cardiff, London, Leeds and Salisbury, with Leicester becoming the 10th branch.
The Leicester store is open from Monday to Thursday 9am to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 9am to 11pm and Sunday 10am to 10pm.


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India's Oct exports fall 1.6 pct, imports jump 7.37 pct
NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's exports fell 1.6 percent to $23.2 billion in October, while imports jumped 7.37 percent to $44.2 billion, leaving a trade deficit of $20.9 billion, according to a Commerce and Industry Ministry statement released on Monday.
Exports between April and October fell 6.2 percent to $166.9 billion, dragged down by slack demand from India's major export destinations in the United States and Europe.
Oil imports for October rose by 31.6 percent to $14.79 billion, the statement said. (Reporting by Matthias Williams and Arup Roychoudhury; Editing by John Chalmers)
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- U.S. strikes have slowed Iraq militants but not weakened them - Pentagon
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The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), India's capital markets regulator, has ordered property developer PACL Ltd to return at least $8.1 billion raised from retail investors after finding the company had failed to register its land investment scheme. Full Article
India to hike iron ore royalty, miners may struggle to pass on extra cost. Full Article


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Without a doubt you will find few companies that are as forward thinking when it comes to the environment as Tesla. Despite that their rockets are one of the biggest fossil fuel users on the planet, the rest of what they produce is quite environmentally friendly. Evidence of this could be seen when they brought the world’s largest #solar battery online in November of 2017. As impressive as that feat was that huge solar battery may soon be number two in the world if a group of California investors have their way.
Who Is This Possible New Solar Battery King?
This huge new solar #energy generating project with the enormous solar battery is the brainchild of a San Francisco based company called recurrent energy. The gigantic solar battery is only a small part of what would be a solar energy generation site that would cover an area of land some 2,500 acres in size. That’s a whole lot of solar panels to say the least. When the plant is up and functioning it will be able to produce some 350 megawatts of electricity.
For those of you who are familiar with California’s topography the new site will be located at the base of the Mule Mountains just east of Palm Springs in a highly desert like area that already is home to several smaller solar farms. Under the proposal by Recurrent Energy not only will the site be able to generate 350 megawatts of electricity but they want a battery big enough to store that amount of solar generated electricity too.
How Does This Compare With Tesla’s Huge Solar Battery?
When Tesla’s gigantic solar battery came online last year in Australia it was the world’s largest dedicated solar storage battery at the time. Perhaps the most impressive feat with the whole project is Tesla claimed they could build it in 100 days and they did. Once online the Tesla battery was thought to be able to store some 100 megawatts of electricity.
So once finished this new colossal solar battery in the California desert will be able to store more than 3 times the amount of electricity that the world’s current biggest solar battery can now hold. That’s pretty impressive to say the least.
Environmental Activists Are Not Happy With the Proposal
Of course while this looks good on paper there will definitely be some hurdles that Recurrent Energy needs to get over in order to get permission to build this gigantic solar field with its huge solar battery. For one, permitting for a solar project of this size typically takes several years to get done. Another hurdle would have to do with the companies resolve in getting it built. The sticking point there is they do not have a sure buyer signed up yet for the energy that will be produced and stored at the new solar field. Although with California’s demand for energy that does not look like it will be a big problem.
What could be a big problem is that some of California’s powerful conservation groups will fight the plan until the end. They cite the fact that the area is already overcrowded with solar power generating plants and this one will be even bigger. These groups feel it will be another negative blow to what was once one of the largest and most intact ecosystems in America. This same ecosystem has already seen species like the desert tortoise and bighorn sheep inch closer to being endangered.
Once Again Solar Batteries Are In the News
This is another example of how solar related articles are starting to be dominated by solar batteries. That may be because while the new gains in solar photovoltaic are relatively small and somewhat insignificant, the gains made in solar power battery storage have been taking giant steps.
This new solar battery in California is a good example in the trend of solar batteries. Look for them to get bigger and bigger until finally the technology is there that will allow them to completely bridge the gap between daytime solar energy production and the time during a day when no solar energy production is possible. When that finally happens the possibilities that come with solar power use will be limitless.


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Entrepreneur and co-founder of one of Australia’s leading herb businesses, Jan Vydra has received the 2016 Rabobank Emerging Leader Award, recognising exceptional up-and- coming leadership in Australia and New Zealand’s food and agribusiness industries.
Innovative food and agribusiness start-ups and fledgling ventures will have the opportunity to showcase themselves to potential investors at an event to be held in Sydney in November 2016.
Large Victorian chain food outlets and supermarket chains will be required to display kilojoule contents on their menus by 2018, with the Victorian Government introducing legislation into the Parliament to implement Victoria’s first ever mandatory kilojoule labelling scheme.
Meat & Livestock Australia’s (MLA) effective marketing of beef and lamb has been recognised at the annual Effie Awards held in Sydney.
The Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee (AWPFC) adjusted its forecast of shorn wool production for the 2016/17 season to 325 million kilograms greasy, the same level as its revised estimate for the 2015/16 season. Shorn wool production of 325 mkg greasy in 2015/16 is 6.1% lower than in 2014/15.
The Coalition Government announced the commencement of a review and public consultation on the broad range of issues affecting the supply and remuneration conditions of labour performed by Working Holiday Maker visa holders.